Uttar Pradesh: Ghaziabad SHO Uses 'machine' To Determine Citizenship, Video Goes Viral

New Delhi: A video from the Kaushambi police station area in the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh has become viral on social media. In the video, Kaushambi Police Station SHO Ajay Sharma is allegedly using a machine on a man's back and claiming it can determine his citizenship. 

What does the video show?

In the video, the police officer is seen claiming that the machine has identified the man as Bangladeshi. However, the man himself has claimed to be a resident of Araria district in Bihar.

According to media reports, the incident took place on December 23. On that day, the Uttar Pradesh Police, along to with the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), conducted an intensive search operation in the Bhovapur slums and Bihari Market area within the jurisdiction of the Kaushambi police station. 

This operation was conducted to identify Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants and was codenamed "Operation Torch." During this operation, the identity documents of people living in the slums were checked.

The viral video is reportedly from this search operation. In the video, during questioning, the Station House Officer (SHO) is seen jokingly or perhaps in a coercive manner, mentioning the use of a machine to check citizenship.

How has social media reacted?

After the video became viral on social media, a debate has erupted regarding the police's methods. People are questioning whether such a machine actually exists which can identify a person's citizenship. Many social media users have described it as a tactic used by the police to exert pressure on citizens.

Clarifying the matter, ACP Indirapuram Abhishek Srivastava said that this was not a technical or scientific investigation. He stated that the police conducted a search and checking operation to verify the identities of people living in the slums. During questioning, the police often use different methods to ask questions to elicit accurate information.

What are the political reactions?

The video has also elicited political reactions. Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale reacted on social media, stating that he would send a notice to the Ghaziabad police regarding the matter. Currently, the viral video is a subject of discussion within the police department and has become a topic of both curiosity and criticism on social media.