Messi-meme by Kolkata Police creates social media stir
Kolkata, June 25: With the riveting football World Cup in far-off Russia keeping fans mesmerised in this soccer crazy city, the Kolkata Police's latest meme featuring Argentine legend Lionel Messi's missed penalty against Iceland has created a stir on the social media.
The meme captures Messi's moment of despair against newbie Iceland as he failed to convert from the spot in the June 16 Group D game. Side by side, there is an image of a traffic sergeant issuing a fine to penalise a helmet-less biker, with an English caption "You'll never miss a penalty. We won't let you!" The Bengali version is captioned "sob penalty miss hoi na!" (All penalties are not missed!)
It is the city police's way of promoting the West Bengal government's 'Safe Drive Save Life' initiative for better traffic measures.
The post has already received 5,500 reactions and has been shared over 2,400 times so far since it was uploaded on Kolkata Police's Facebook page on Friday evening.
While a section of social media users were impressed by the punning and termed it as one of Kolkata Police's best campaigns ever, some others, mainly comprising Argentina and Messi fans, dubbed it 'shameful' and accused the police of trolling one of the best players in world football.
Chattaraj Lionel Abir, a Messi fan, questioned how the lawmakers can troll a legend while another Facebook user, with the image of the Argentine star as his display picture, hinted that police might be getting such meme ideas from a troll they have recently arrested.
"You people cannot punish the offenders but can easily make fun of a player like Messi. How shameful," wrote a netizen.
In order to counter their hero's humiliation, some Facebook users have also came up with videos of Messi's fierce rival Christiano Rolando missing a penalty.
"Some penalties are awarded to those who illegally dive on the pitch and resort to play acting," wrote Sagnik Jha.
However, many have appreciated the cops' sense of humour, saying they have successfully used a hot topic like the World Cup to spread mass awareness.
"The witty meme by Kolkata Police is innovative and effective. Their message of mass awareness would successfully reach more people amid the ongoing World Cup fever. This should be appreciated," noted Facebook user Mainak Debnath.
"Really amazing post. Thanks to Kolkata Police. It is good to see you haven't lost your sense of humour under so much work pressure. Inspiring," wrote a woman.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
