Why is the use of social media so restrictive for the Gujarat Police?

The Police Department of Gujarat had on July 20 issued a code of conduct for the use of social media by policemen.

In the guidelines issued by the police department, many types of advice have been given regarding the use of social media. In addition, provision of legal and departmental action has also been made in this guideline.

If any Gujarat Police employee violates the restrictions laid down in this code of conduct while using social media, he may face legal or departmental action.

It is worth noting that recently a campaign was launched on social media to increase the grade pay of Gujarat Policemen.

After this incident, the state police department on Monday issued these codes of conduct for the policemen working in the state police force.

A new debate has arisen on this and questions have arisen as to whether the police personnel cannot place their demands on social media, so these guidelines were not issued.

Also, after this incident it is also being said that the policemen do not have the right to raise their voice against the government?

Do they not have the right to put their legitimate demands before the government?

Before knowing the answers to all these questions, let us know what things have been included in this guideline for these policemen.

What’s in the guideline?

The guidelines issued by the police department include five main values ​​of the code of conduct.

The first of which is the policemen being apolitical and secular.

Under this, police officers have been told that they will not make political statements and will not be involved in the activities of political parties.

Policemen have also been told that they will not join the group created to advocate religion, caste, sub-caste or any particular section of society on the instant messaging app.

The second major point of the guideline is that the policemen will not react publicly on the matters related to duty. Under this, social media will not be used in relation to duty. Public comments criticizing the police department or the government will not be posted.

Also, it has been asked to avoid expressing personal opinion while using social media for official purposes.

Policemen have also been advised to be careful while using social media for personal purposes.

While using social media for personal purposes, the policemen have to make it clear that no comment about the activities of the Gujarat government is official, ie personal.

Subsequently, posting on social media, they have been asked to maintain confidence by following the standards of etiquette so that they do not jeopardize the reputation of their department.

In addition, the use of social resources has been banned for the use of social media.

Finally, the language used in social media has been asked to be restrained, purposeful and polite.

Why need guidelines?

Talking about its need after the guidelines were released, the state’s current Director General of Police Shivanand Jha held a press conference on Tuesday and posted on social media about the salary hike to policemen and breaking the unity of the police department Recommended to abstain from.

The speculation has intensified that the way the online movement was being conducted on the issue of grade-pay, this guideline is the result of the same.

Shivanand Jha said, “At present, the policemen are being encouraged to increase the grade-pay. Gujarat Police is campaigning on various social media platforms to increase the grade-pay of constable personnel. Strict action on such activities Monitoring is being done. People responsible for this are being identified. “

He expressed his determination to take stern action against the violators of the rules, saying, “I would like to inform the police department or all outsiders involved in such activities that under any circumstances false, deceptive and malicious intent will be given to the policemen in this Such provocations will not be tolerated. Saying such an inappropriate point of salary hike will be considered as an attack on the dignity of uniforms and strict action will be taken against the elements who do so. “

“I remind those who talk about salary increases that doing such activity on social media is not only a violation of discipline, but also a criminal act. Confusing policemen and breaking their unity Attempting is not only a crime of indiscipline, but also falls under the Police (Insight to Decision) Act, 1922 and the Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act in view of the Corona Pandemic. Any complaint related to duty is determined by the departmental. Must be resolved through the process itself. “

Can policemen oppose government policy?

The issuance of a code of conduct for the use of social media for police personnel in the state has also sparked debate on whether a government employee can speak against the government or its policy? On this, the situation has been clarified in the Gujarat State Service (Conduct) Rules, 1971.

According to Rule 9, no government employee may make a statement in any radio broadcast or in any article published in his name or in the name of any other person or in a text sent to newspapers or in public speech.

We spoke to retired IGP (Inspector General) RJ Savani to clarify the situation in this regard.

He says, “Certain rules of service, discipline and conduct apply to all government employees, including the police. Under these rules, an officer in government service cannot publicly criticize the government or its policies in any way. . Social media is also included in these mediums. “

However, a government employee can approach the appropriate authority for his legitimate demands. It is important that his demand should be service related.

Through departmental process

Can a policeman not put their legitimate demands on social media?

Talking about the guidelines issued by the police department, RJ Savani said, “Employees have to follow a departmental process to meet their proper demands. First you will talk to those who are the heads of your office. It is essential for any government employee and this includes the policemen to refrain from using social media for their legitimate demands. That is why I believe this new code of conduct is not for any special control over employees. Restrictions are already in place. “

He said, “Government employees cannot be empowered to speak in any medium on issues related to their service in any way to remain disciplined. Even if it is about grade-pay reform. Follow the established procedure Is important to do. “

However, former Director General of Police of Gujarat State RB Srikumar does not agree with this.

He says, “Employees in government service cannot publicly criticize the government or its policies, but they can speak on social media about their service, conditions of service and conditions of service, security, privileges and facilities If a government employee shares such a demand or something on social media, there should be no objection to it. “

However, the current DGP Shivanand Jha has also said that all complaints related to duty should be dealt with through departmental process.

Suppression of freedom of expression?

Reacting to the guidelines, Gujarat Congress chief spokesperson Manish Doshi said, “The Constitution of the country gives every citizen of the country the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19. Every citizen enjoys this freedom under appropriate restrictions Can take it. Thus, everyone is given the freedom to speak his mind. Unfortunately, the BJP government in Gujarat is fretting over the rights of the people. “

Talking about the difficulties faced by the policemen, he said, “No arrangement has been made by the police force to make legitimate demands to the government. There is no way to express their demands regarding rights, payment-grade and facilities. There is no way. On the one hand, there is no system to present someone’s demands and when a policeman speaks for his rights, the government tries to pressure him in the name of the code of conduct. If the government If believed, it should uphold the rights of all citizens, including government employees. “

Recalling the contribution of the Gujarat Police during the shutdown of the Corona epidemic, he said, “It is the duty of the government to take steps to perform its duties with dignity and to increase its confidence in the system, giving them financial benefits and Provide the facilities that they deserve. However, the government gives them more work and does injustice to them by not giving them fair compensation. “

Expressing concern over the working conditions of police personnel, he said, “The Congress Party will make a presentation in the Legislative Assembly to ensure that the rights of police personnel as citizens are upheld, they get the benefits they are entitled to And there should be justice with them. “

He said, “There are rules of departmental discipline in the government department and every officer and employee should follow them, but in the name of discipline, the government should not do its own arbitrary.”

He also said that it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that the dignity of the policemen remained and their morale did not fall.

According to Manish Doshi, the government does not take action against the law breakers, but against the law enforcers, causing the morale of the state police force to fall.

What does the ruling party say?

Reacting to the guidelines issued to the Gujarat Police on the use of social media, Gujarat BJP state spokesperson Bharat Pandya said, “Any employee should follow the department, constitution and rules. Just as there is a civil code, There should also be a Karmayogi code, everyone can have the right to represent and demand in the appropriate forum, but the discipline and rules of the department should be kept in mind. Everyone has their own feelings, but to show them The way should be disciplined. “

Suggesting a solution to the grade-pay problem, he said, “The general policy of the Ministry of Finance, Department and Government should be coordinated and a suitable solution should be found.”

Social Media and Gujarat Police

Recently, the # 2800 Gujarat Police campaign was launched on social media demanding improvement in the grade-pay of Gujarat Police constable cadre employees. The campaign was supported by many social media users, who shared posts related to it. Hundreds of tweets were also tweeted in support of the demand on Twitter.

Earlier, a dispute between Surat Police constable Sunita Yadav and Gujarat government minister Kumar Kanani’s son had spread on social media.

The video of the incident became so viral that the news became popular at the national level.

Earlier, according to some local media reports, JA Rathwa, a police inspector from Vadaj area in Ahmedabad, stopped and acted on the car of a religious leader leaving during the curfew. After which he was transferred. After this, the policemen showed solidarity in their favor by putting a picture of them in their WhatsApp status.

Thus, social media platforms for policemen were used many times in the last few days. It remains to be seen how effective these guidelines issued by the police department are in reducing the use of social media as a platform for police issues.