Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warned government employees against creating social-media reels during work hours on June 17, 2024 [2].
The directive targets a growing trend of public servants filming content while on duty. This move signals a push to restore strict professionalism within the state's administrative and security apparatus, as the government seeks to maintain a disciplined image of public authority.
Adityanath specifically highlighted police personnel in his warning. He said that making reels while on duty is a form of indiscipline that undermines the professionalism of the force [1]. The chief minister said that the primary focus of government employees must remain on their official responsibilities rather than digital content creation.
The warning coincided with a Janta Darshan event in Lucknow, where the chief minister addressed public grievances and administrative issues [1]. During the proceedings, Adityanath also highlighted the scale of employment opportunities within the state. He said that the government has provided 900,000 government jobs [1].
State officials have not yet detailed specific penalties for those who violate the directive, but the warning serves as a formal notice to the workforce. The chief minister's stance reflects a broader effort to ensure that the digital habits of individual officers do not compromise the perceived integrity of the state's law enforcement agencies [1].
“Making reels while on duty is a form of indiscipline”
This directive reflects a tension between the modernization of personal communication and the traditional hierarchies of state authority in India. By framing social media use as 'indiscipline,' the Uttar Pradesh government is asserting that the visibility of a police officer's professional role must outweigh their personal digital identity, particularly as the state expands its public sector workforce.
