President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday flagged the spread of misinformation to create fear among people as an emerging serious concern, saying smart policing can help prevent situations from becoming too challenging.
Addressing probationers of the Indian Police Service (2025 batch), who had called on her at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi, she said that deep-fake content poses new threats and highlighted the need for police officers to always stay ahead of the criminals who use state-of-the-art technologies.
The President said that spreading misinformation to trigger fear among the people is emerging as a serious issue. "Impressionable minds, especially the youth, can be swayed by orchestrated disinformation. This kind of orchestrated mischief can happen at local, regional, or even national levels."
"Smart policing can prevent such situations from getting too challenging and big," she said.
President Murmu said that cybercrimes are getting widespread and more serious and the police have to sensitise society more extensively about the gravity of cybercrimes.
She emphasised that police officers should reorient their own approach toward such crimes.
The President said that for the citizens, police officers and constables are symbols of governance.
"People perceive the governance to be good when the police system functions well. People feel immensely supported when a police officer listens to their grievances with sensitivity and attentiveness," she said.
President Murmu urged the Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to prioritise alleviating the fears of socially or economically weaker individuals, who generally lack access to senior officials, and addressing their grievances.
She said that some of the employees in the system may be more proficient in the use of technology than senior officers and advised the officer trainees not to hesitate to learn even from the most junior members of their team.
The President urged them to encourage public participation and teamwork in their working style. She said that by prioritising the welfare of their team members, they will enhance their capabilities and enthusiasm.
President Murmu stated that police officers would derive a high level of authority from the laws and rules related to policing.
"However, they will earn real respect from the people, based on their performance and value system," she was quoted as saying in a statement issued by her office.
The President said that they should have a sense of commitment to serving citizens rather than a sense of superiority over them.
(With inputs from PTI)
