The serious job of policing has not stopped the Assam police from finding humour in routine cases. A burglary in Guwahati during the last 24 hours would hardly have made news but for the State police’s take on the incident on Twitter.
“The curious case of a cereal burglar! Despite its many health benefits, turns out, cooking khichdi during a burglary attempt can be injurious to your well-being,” it tweeted on Tuesday.
“The burglar has been arrested and @GuwahatiPol is serving him some hot meals,” it added.
Locals in the city's Hengerabari area were alerted by the sounds from the kitchen of a house whose occupants were away. They caught the burglar cooking and handed him over to the police.
On Monday, the Guwahati traffic police tweaked the “hum do, hamaare do” slogan coined in 1952 for a family planning campaign for couples to not have more than two children.
“Aami duta, amaar duta helmet (the two of us, our two helmets),” the Tweet in Assamese read above the red inverted pyramid of the family planning campaign.
“Ensure safety for yourself and people close to you… Don’t be lax when your life matters,” the Tweet said in Assamese.
On December 30, the Assam police let pun take over while cautioning New Year revellers. “This New Year’s Eve, try not to be our guests. Free entry for rash drivers, drunk drivers, other eligible violators,” it said in a tweet.
“Special performance by: DJ Lockup. On the menu: CopCake and other dessert items in our custard-y,” the tweet added.
A State police team under Harmeet Singh, now Guwahati’s Commissioner of Police, had in 2018 begun adding fun to the force’s campaign against crime in 2018. He was then the Additional Director-General of Police (Modernisation-Logistics).
One of the first fun-tweets was: “Sharing rumours/hate messages online can enable you for a date with us in nearest police station this weekend.”
“Mobs may not follow the law, but the law will follow them. If you hit, the law won’t miss” followed.
These and scores of other such messages have been shared through the police’s Facebook and Instagram accounts besides Twitter. They were under the ‘Think’ campaign in three hashtag segments – #ThinkBeforeYouPost, #ThinkBeforeYouHit and #ThinkBeforeYouStalk.
On the ground, the Assam police have been tough against criminals of all hues. Since May 2021, when Himanta Biswa Sarma took charge as the Chief Minister, the force has killed 33 alleged drug dealers, cattle smugglers, kidnappers and murder accused in “encounters” and injured at least 60 others.
“Shoot criminals in the legs if they try to escape from custody,” the Chief Minister, pointing out that this policy was within the ambit of the law.