New Delhi: The effective handling of rumour mongering of attacks on migrant Bihari labourers in Tamil Nadu on social media by the TN Police has punctured the diabolic design of those who were out to build fake narratives to spread animosity among communities. Dr Karuna Sagar, IPS, Director General of Police (Welfare), Tamil Nadu has denied any animosity and urged the people to stay off rumours. 

Senior police officials under the guidance of Chief Minister M K Stalin did not waste time to tame the disruptive forces, said Dr Sagar in an exclusive conversation with Bureaucrats India Editor-in-Chief Navneet Anand.

“Social media is a double-edged sword. We all need to deploy utmost caution while consuming information from there. Thanks to the timely intervention by our police force, the fake narratives have been defeated and truth has won,” said Dr Sagar, who hails from Jehanabad district in Bihar. Having been posted previously as Director of Bureau of Police Research & Development, Dr Sagar is well-versed with deep fake and nuances of cyber crime and frauds. 

As soon as the video of Bihari labourers being “attacked” in Tamil Nadu surfaced, the state machinery did not waste time. “The police mounted a swift and decisive response to quell the rumours and assured Hindi-speaking migrants of their safety in TN, through direct meetings with migrants as also on social media,” said the 1991 batch IPS officer.

Dr Sagar’s attention for migrant labourers is also result of his deep affection for his place of origin in Jehanabad where he does a lot of social service, which he calls as part of his “mental ecosystem.” He considers migration as a critical social phenomenon and reflects on the subject as well. “Most people who have migrated in search of greener pastures have done well. But then those who stayed back are equally worthy and we all should take pride in our association with those with whom we studied and grew up,” he said.

To Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s tweet expressing concern about news reports of harassment of Bihar workers, the TN Police had clarified that both video messages were fake. A Bihar delegation also visited Chennai to meet officials and ensure that all was well.

Dr Sagar’s efforts to counter the disruptive forces have won praises. “I get calls every day from people lauding the strategy to counter the steps that endangered peace and tranquility of the society,” said Dr Sagar.

Reflecting on this case, the thinker police leader said that this case by Tamil Nadu Police is indeed praiseworthy, and “also shows how adept our police forces are becoming in dealing with new types of challenges.” Dr Sagar has all praise for the conviction and work by police forces across India and refers to Covid time interventions by police as extraordinary.

“We all saw the empathetic face of cops in helping people in need during Covid times. I wanted to capture this, and during my stint at BPRD I wrote to Police chiefs across the country to share with us stories of the great work done by our forces. I am glad that BPRD was able to bring out the first part of the Indian Police Response to Covid 19 Crisis. This is a fine tribute to the resilience and grit of our men and women in khaki,” added the 1991 batch IPS officer.

Elaborating on the challenges faced by today’s police, Dr Sagar said policing is getting smarter and aligned to new realities. “Today we face challenges like cybercrime, drone menace, rumours on social media, taking care of geriatric population among others. While police forces are getting access to new gadgets and tools, we also have a large number of people from technical background joining our force, and that is making the tasks easier for us,” said Dr Sagar, who pursued his Bachelors from Delhi University’s Hans Raj College. 

The new challenges have led the police to be more vigilant. “We have special cells in TN that track the trend in social media and track the posts,” said Dr Sagar, adding that while social media is a force-multiplier at the same time an evil if used for damaging purposes.

Himself an alumnus of Hansraj College and married to a Stephanian, Dr Sagar is a family of voracious readers. “I have two sons – Pratham is a practicing lawyer in the Supreme Court, while younger one Parth is pursuing his startup venture. Over half of my collection of about 4,500 books were destroyed in the floods but we are building the library again,” he said. 

Lauding his ‘karmabhoomi’, Dr Sagar said that Tamil Nadu is a state that has very rich cultural legacy and he feels lucky to have served the people of this wonderful state. /BI/