Vikas Dubey killed only 8 UP Policemen, but the person who posted this picture killed the image of entire Indian Police. Yet No action against those who posted it.

One picture is worth thousand words is what we are taught in our Journalism school.

But I never thought what blunders a wrong narrative can commit to a picture.. turn a saviour into a criminal.

The 'fundamentalist vultures' (could be Hindu or Muslim) in our society look for such pictures to tarnish police image and sow seeds of hatred in people's mind.

Unfortunately, no action is taken against these criminals who divide our community and create hatred against our system.

The picture in question belongs to a Muslim boy who was rescued by a police team in Greater Noida from a Madarsa (religious school), but it was projected as if police chained the boy because he was a Muslim.

The Policemen, who otherwise should have been praised for rescuing the boy from a criminal gang, were rather condemned. It was projected that a child with a Muslim cap was treated worse than a  dreaded criminal.

Unfortunately, those who tarnished police image on social media, have not yet been taken to task. They have committed a serious crime to divide our society, it is rather worse than murder...Police must take it up seriously otherwise such people would continue to divide us.

The posted image (two and a half-year-old, Jan 2018) is of a Muslim kid with two policemen standing near a police vehicle. The posting on social media reads “Crime of wearing a skull cap and being born in a Muslim family”.

When I saw this picture for the first time, I felt ashamed of our police system.  In fact, I tweeted, that the act is very shameful. Further suggested that those involved should be given exemplary punishment. At the same time, I urged people not to publicize it further as it might spoil our communal harmony.

The Fundamentalist vultures, This time it was a person who claimed to be an Asaduddin Owaisi supporter. He posted in social media that this boy was chained just because he was bearing a Muslim cap. 

He not only spread hatred against Police and a particular community but also tarnished the image of Uttar Pradesh Police.

When I checked the facts and authenticity of the picture, I found the image was right but its interpretation was wrong. The picture was two and half-year-old taken by Greater Noida police, which rescued the chained boy from a Madrasa (a religious Islamic school) near Mangrauli Pulia Jewar and later handed over to his father in Faridabad. One of the Police officers who rescued the boy was Rajpal Talhan from Greater Noida Police. 

On reverse image searching the photo using keywords, a tweet posted by ‘Call 112’, emergency service portal of Uttar Pradesh was found detailing about the incident shown in the photo. In that tweet, they informed that the police of Gautham Buddha Nagar- PRV 1873 rescued a child who was chained and locked in a Madrasa (a religious Islamic school) near Mangrauli Pulia Jewar.

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com