No Reels, Avoid Political Topics: New Social Media Guidelines For Delhi Police

Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Friday issued social media guidelines for police personnel asking them to "maintain the dignity of the uniform" and not to use any equipment or accessories for reels or videos.

According to the guidelines, the police personnel should not comment, post or share any confidential information related to any pending trial or suspect or arrested person.

The policemen should not post any statements, photos or videos related to departmental training, activities or duties on social media without written permission and also refrain from posting comments that can be derogatory towards victims, suspects or any group, it said.

The guidelines issued in Hindi stated that disclosure of the identity of a juvenile or a complainant of sexual assault through social media is illegal.

It is illegal for policemen to record and transmit photographs or videos of any protected person or high-security area/premises, it said.

The police commissioner mentioned that being a member of a disciplined force, the policemen should not post anything on social media that is against national interest or internal security.

The content being posted on social media by police personnel should not be illegal, obscene, derogatory, threatening or abusing intellectual property rights, the guidelines said.

The police personnel and officers should not post anything that violates the conduct rules. Their participation in any group or forum that has been created to promote or agitate any religion, caste, creed or sub-caste is illegal, it added.

The guidelines also prohibit the policemen from being a part of any social media campaign that is for or against any political topic.

There have been several instances where mobile phones and cameras of the police personnel have been used for operational coverage and sensitive material has been uploaded on social media. Any such photographs or videos must be for official use only, it added.

To solve the problems of personnel of all ranks in the Delhi Police, there are mediums like 'Sampark Sabha', open house or they can also seek help of the higher officials if needed, the commissioner said in the guidelines while directing the policemen to avoid using social media on duty.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)