City police have used a Gautam Gambhir-Virat Kohli moment from Friday’s IPL match to campaign for its dial-100 helpline.
The police have said however “serious (gambhir)” or “big (virat)” the problem, people should call the police for help.
KKR mentor Gambhir and RCB star Kohli, who have a history of acrimony between them, played out a rapprochement scene during one of the breaks at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
In the videos and pictures that have emerged, Gambhir is seen to call out to Kohli and the two shake hands and hug each other. And, surprise surprise, the ever-grumpy Gambhir and the angry-though-not-so-young Kohli were smiling.
The Kolkata Police did not lose any time. At 9.28pm on Friday, it posted the meme on X.
“We want people to dial 100 in case of any distress. We are using these memes to popularise Dial 100 and encourage Kolkatans to use this facility,” said Kolkata police joint commissioner (headquarters) Meeraj Khalid.
Almost as the scenes unfolded in Bengaluru, here in Kolkata, a group of young people were not just watching the match but also picking up moments from it.
“Kolkata police has a social media cell that is managed by a group of young people, who are outsourced. Yesterday, they made the meme while the match was on and posted it in real-time,” said a senior officer.
“Whenever they make a meme they get it vetted by the concerned department. In this case, it was done by the police control room in Lalbazar where the dial-100 unit is located,” said the official.
This is not the first time that the police have picked up Gambhir and Kohli for their social media pages.
Last May, the city police linked a hugely popular Spanish TV series and the spat between the two players to urge people to stay safe from online fraud.
In that meme, the “Professor” from Money Heist asks for an “OTP sent to your phone”. Responding to his request are cricketers Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, both have their fingers on their lips. The gesture warns people not to divulge an OTP to a caller.
In a thrilling IPL encounter in Lucknow last season, RCB beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
In the previous match between the two sides in Bengaluru, LSG secured a last-ball, one-wicket victory.
Gambhir, the LSG mentor then, had shushed the crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium while celebrating that win.
In the next match, Royal Challengers star Kohli reprised the gesture in Lucknow.
An on-field exchange between LSG bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and Kohli seemed to spill on the post-match shaking of hands between the players and support staff.
Within minutes, Kohli and Gambhir were engaged in what looked like a spat.
Not just IPL though, the city police have also used the iconic 1969 Abbey Road album cover of The Beatles to campaign about following traffic rules.
The Dial 100 is a facility where people can call when in distress.
The police can handle 30 call simultaneously.