A viral video shows a senior Ghaziabad police officer placing what looks like a smartphone on a man's back and declaring him 'from Bangladesh.' The incident occurred on December 23 in a slum area during a routine police exercise. Authorities have ordered an inquiry into the matter.
Ghaziabad police have ordered an inquiry following a viral video that shows a senior officer using what appears to be a device to 'test' a man's nationality, declaring him 'from Bangladesh.' The footage, widely shared on social media, has sparked controversy over alleged intimidation of slum residents during a routine operation.
The incident took place on December 23 in the Bihari Market slum area during an 'area domination exercise' conducted by Kaushambi police station officials alongside Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel. DCP (Trans-Hindon) Nimish Patil confirmed the video's context, stating it was part of security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year. 'It was only an area domination exercise… It was during this that the video surfaced, and an inquiry has been ordered, which has been assigned to ACP of Indirapuram circle,' Patil said.
In the video, the officer is heard telling a woman and a man, 'Don’t tell a lie; we have a machine that can detect a lie.' The woman and a minor girl beside her insist they are from Araria in Bihar and show documents on a mobile phone, but the group of about half a dozen personnel remain unconvinced. The affected family alleges the police tried to intimidate them by labeling them as Bangladeshi.
Mohammad Saddique, the 76-year-old man in the video, said personnel argued with his 22-year-old daughter about the machine. 'We showed them all the required proof that we are natives of Bihar,' said Saddique, who sells fish and has lived in Ghaziabad since 1987. Senior police officials, speaking anonymously, identified the officer as the station house officer of Kaushambi police station, though he has not been officially named pending the inquiry.
Area domination exercises typically involve visible police and paramilitary presence in high-population or sensitive areas to deter crime, maintain order, and gather intelligence. The episode raises questions about police conduct and has prompted calls for accountability.