The photographs of the police officer, Pravin Singh, kneeling down at Adtiyanath’s feet with folded hands, went viral on the social media
Policeman in uniform kneeling before CM Yogi (Photo: Twitter)
Netizens reacted with surprise and anger seeing photographs of a police officer in uniform kneeling down at the feet of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the occasion of Guru Purnima at the Gorakhnath temple.
People accused the police officer of ignoring the service rules as pictures show Yogi applying ’tilak’ to the cop, who, in uniform, is sitting at the feet of the CM with folded hands.
Adityanath is also ‘Peethadishwar’ and ‘Mahant’ (head priest) of the Gorakhnath Math.
Advertisement
The photographs of the police officer, Pravin Singh, kneeling down at Adtiyanath’s feet with folded hands, went viral on the social media, forcing him to clarify his stand. He is also seen garlanding the CM.
“I was deployed at the temple for security duty and I went there after completing my work with full dedication, when most of the disciples were seeking blessings. Out of my devotion and after removing my belt, cap and other accessories and covering my head with a handkerchief, I took blessings of Peethadishwar Mahant Yogi Adityanath,” Singh said.
“My shirt was wet with sweat and I had not ignored my work. Mahant Yogi sits in the position of a guru on two occasions in the temple – one at the time of Dussehra and other on Guru Purnima. I always pray at the temple for serving the country honestly and with dedication. It was just out of my devotion towards Baba Gorakhnath and nothing else,” he explained.
Singh is posted as Circle Officer, Gorakhnath in Gorakhpur.
IG, Civil Defence, Amitabh Thakur (IPS) said the police manual is not very clear on this count.
“This is a grey area and can be interpreted either way. But, a police officer needs to uphold the dignity of his uniform,” Thakur pointed out.
(WIth inputs from PTI)
Advertisement
