"Back-Facing Photos: Questions Rise Over Kota Police’s New Protocol"
Kota, Rajasthan. A recent photograph showing Kota police personnel standing with their backs to the camera has triggered widespread discussion and raised several unanswered questions about the rationale behind the new visual protocol. The image, published in local newspapers, was reportedly taken for the “safety of the officers’ families,” but no formal order or legal provision supporting this claim has been made public.
Senior advocate Akhtar Khan Akela criticised the lack of transparency, pointing out that none of journalism’s foundational principles—what, when, where, why, who, and how—were addressed in the coverage. He noted that neither the Police Act of 1961, nor the Indian Penal Code or police procedural rules, contain any clause permitting the release of police photographs with faces concealed in this manner.
According to Advocate Akela, the police force in Kota already suffers from limited manpower and an extensive workload involving documentation, casework, and field duties. He argued that additional activities such as photo sessions, video shoots, and presentation ceremonies unnecessarily drain time and energy that could otherwise be dedicated to maintaining law and order.
Akela further alleged that several police stations and offices frequently host informal celebrations, where groups of individuals regularly visit to present garlands, bouquets, and mementos on officers’ birthdays or special occasions. These events, often shared on social media with pride, are in direct violation of police discipline rules, he claimed. Such practices, he added, not only breach protocol but also consume valuable working hours.
He highlighted that Kota has long witnessed the trend of showcasing injured or limping suspects, hand bandaged or plastered, as part of “deterrence displays.” However, despite these public demonstrations, incidents of stabbing, theft, and fraud continue to occur regularly across the city.
Advocate Akela stressed that the police could achieve far better outcomes by redirecting this lost time toward beat policing, intelligence gathering, surveillance, and thorough investigation rather than publicity-driven activities.
He concluded that strengthening the core policing process—rather than focusing on optics—would build genuine public trust and help curb rising crime more effectively.
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