Mobile phone to verify 'citizenship'? Video of Ghaziabad cop sparks questions over police conduct

A video from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh showing a police officer using a mobile phone for a citizenship verification drive has gone viral, prompting questions about police conduct and verification procedures.

The incident occurred on December 23 in the Bhowapur slum area of Kaushambi, where Ghaziabad Police, along with personnel from the CRPF, were carrying out checks to identify illegal immigrants. During the drive, police were examining identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, voter IDs and passports, and questioning residents about their place of origin.

The incident occurred on December 23 in the Bhowapur slum area of Kaushambi, where Ghaziabad police along with personnel from CRPF were carrying out checks to identify illegal immigrants. During the drive, police were examining identity documents such as Aadhar card, voter IDs and passports and questioning residents about their place of origin.

In the video, Kaushambi police station SHO Ajay Sharma is seen questioning a man who stated that he was from Araria district in Bihar and showed his identity card. The officer is then heard asking whether the man was from Bihar or Bangladesh. Sharma subsequently claimed to have a device that could determine a person’s origin and asked a colleague to bring it. He is seen placing what appears to be a mobile phone on the man’s back and saying that the “machine” showed the person as Bangladeshi.

Residents of the slum later said the man shown in the video was from Bihar. The clip spread widely on social media, drawing criticism and raising doubts about whether such a method of verification exists. Several users questioned the legality and appropriateness of the action, particularly during checks involving economically vulnerable groups.

The Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate on X recated to the post going viral, saying it was 'part of crime control efforts, questioning and verification of suspicious individuals in temporary settlements'.

"In this context, Kaushambi police conducted questioning and verification, examining documents from individuals for veracity," their reply said.