BHOPAL: Aiming to bring discipline and accountability to how its force conducts itself online, the Madhya Pradesh Police headquarters has issued a comprehensive 24-point guideline governing social media use by officers and employees across the state.
The MP Police Social Media Guidelines 2026, issued by the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) Kailash Makwana, comes amid growing instances of police personnel's online conduct, from viral videos to leaked operational details, drawing public and departmental scrutiny nationwide.
The guidelines make clear that a police officer's social media activity, even on personal accounts, can be construed as representing the department. Platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and YouTube must therefore be used "carefully," with posts, photos, videos and comments required to steer clear of legal violations, departmental rules or breaches of confidentiality.
A significant thrust of the guidelines is safeguarding operational security. Personnel on sensitive duties have been barred from disclosing the nature of their work, exact posting or operational details, with instructions to disable geotagging where necessary.
During VIP visits or sensitive operations, officers have been told to avoid sharing photos or videos that could expose security arrangements, routes or deployment patterns. Similarly, visuals from arrests, raids or searches cannot be uploaded to personal accounts without prior authorisation.
The police personnel, including officers and other staff, have been explicitly barred from uploading confidential government documents on artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, while also restricting reels, monetisation, political symbols, and disclosure of sensitive police operations.
The directive also addresses the protection of vulnerable individuals, explicitly prohibiting the disclosure of identities or personal details of women, children, victims and other protected persons in the course of investigations, inquiries or interactions with witnesses.
The code draws a firm line between personal and official identity. Officers cannot use police vehicles, uniforms, insignia or government property for personal publicity, and departmental achievements must be projected as institutional accomplishments rather than an individual's personal success. Personnel have also been barred from creating social media accounts in the names of family members to carry out official work.
On matters of speech, the guidelines caution against posting content that could be construed as an official departmental stance — particularly comments on government policies or decisions — and warn against material that risks stoking political, religious or communal controversy. Commentary on cases pending before courts has also been flagged, with officers told to avoid posts that could prejudice proceedings or amount to contempt.
Officers have further been directed not to share official, confidential or sensitive information with journalists or media houses without authorisation, and to route departmental achievements or decisions only through official channels. The circulation of rumours or unverified content has been explicitly prohibited, as has the operation of unauthorised departmental social media pages or groups that could compromise discipline.
Notably, the guidelines also remind personnel that social media cannot substitute the department's formal grievance redressal mechanism — service-related complaints must still be escalated through proper channels to senior officers.
With social media increasingly shaping public perception of police conduct, the new code is being seen as MP Police's attempt to pre-empt controversies while reinforcing discipline, security protocols and institutional image in the digital age.
