A Routine Drive Turns Into Surveillance
On September 14 in Gurgaon’s Ardee City, a 50-year-old digital creator drove her Tata Punch past a police patrol vehicle. Later, a comment appeared on her Instagram: “15 min pehle ap Ardee City Gate 3 se nikal ke Sec 45 me enter hue ho kya? In your Tata Punch car…”
The sender, it turned out, was the same constable who had spotted her. He allegedly used official databases to trace her details, later writing, “Cops have sharp eyes.” What began as a chance encounter turned into harassment, with remarks about her age and appearance. Disturbed, the woman uploaded a video describing the incident: “Receiving such messages from a police constable left me disturbed… I pity younger girls who might face worse.”
From Instagram Comment to Criminal Case
Initially advised only to block the account, she pressed on with a complaint at the Gurgaon Cyber Crime station. Within a week, the constable was suspended and booked under Section 79 of the BNS, which addresses acts insulting a woman’s modesty.
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Police spokesperson ASI Sandeep Kumar called the response swift, stressing “zero tolerance against such acts.” Yet the accused officer’s name remains undisclosed.
The Fragility of Trust in Law Enforcement
The case highlights a troubling misuse of state access. Police databases, designed for enforcement, were allegedly repurposed to track and contact a private citizen. For digital creators—already visible online—the intrusion sharpened anxieties about privacy and safety.
When the accused is a state actor, the imbalance becomes sharper: the very institution meant to safeguard dignity appears complicit through its personnel.
A Local Episode With a National Debate
Though local, the incident feeds a wider debate about accountability in Indian policing. Experts have long warned that disciplinary measures often stall at suspension or symbolic action.
For now, the FIR offers a measure of redress. But the deeper test is whether authorities can embed safeguards to prevent recurrence—or whether this case fades into a familiar cycle of outrage and retreat.
