Twitterati approve of Mumbai police’s memes

The Mumbai police is known for its vigilance and taking criminals head-on. And while we salute it for its bravery, it is being applauded for its wit on social media too. 

From making references to popular comedy series Friends to Netflix’s science fiction-horror  fest Stranger Things, the Mumbai police has been tweeting  caution in the form of puns. The latest in the line of their rib-tickling tweets is the ‘If you can’t handle me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best’ meme.

The department posted a funny take on the meme, with a chalan-fining officer in the first picture and one where a dutiful officer who’s drenched is depicted.  So much so that celebrities from author Devdutt Pattanaik to journalist Barkha Dutt tweeted their approval, with Barkha even joking she’d like to marry the person behind the social media account. The picture has earned the already-popular social media account praise from all quarters. And it has taken a team of more than 20 people to bring to fore the lighter side of the Mumbai police making it more approachable. 

“We try to spread awareness among the people, using some fun elements as our daily routine. Our team keeps looking at trending stories and that is how it conceives its ideas about posts,” smiles Deepak Deoraj, deputy commissioner of police, operations, and Mumbai police spokesperson. This is not it; the cop saysthat even the police commissioner gives his idea and input on every post that is being created by the department.

But the cop makes it clear that while the target is everyone, special attention has been paid to the youth with whom these memes are most relatable. “The youth is important as they help us in spreading awareness; they’re active on social media. It is also a platform for people in trouble as it is easy for them to reach us here. This brings us closer to the people,” he adds.

The Mumbai Police tweet

For comedian Sorabh Pant, one needs to be appreciative of the efforts taken by the police. “They have always been at the forefront with their way of connecting with people and I am not surprised with their social media action. We should appreciate that a government institution is being able to communicate with people in such a light manner,” says Sorabh. 

The comedian also believes that these activities are proof of the police’s intelligence. “The Mumbai police is sensitive. And the city has the best police officers. People with a sense of humour are more intelligent and things like putting up posters besides the tweets are testimony to that,” he says.

Author Shiv Visvanathan, however, has a different take. “The post has two different views — they are doing their duties in both the pictures but they are critical to the public. It is like ‘We deserve you but you don’t deserve us as a public’. Therefore the picture has dissonance,” he declares. 

The academician further refers to this tweet as reflecting on two sides of a coin. “There are two ideas of the police. One is helping and other corruption. On the helping end it is doing their duties, but on the corruption part, the police still has a bad reputation. It is more like a schizophrenic image,” he says.