Digital Volunteers: How Citizens Became the Police’s Eyes and Ears on Social Media

Posted by Prof. Kapil Gautam, Department of Information Technology

29 December 2025

As someone who has been teaching Information Technology for nearly twenty years, I often tell my students that the most powerful use of technology is not always the most complex one. Sometimes the real magic happens when technology is combined with active citizen participation.

Just a few days ago, on 24–25 December 2025, ADG Ramit Sharma held a major zonal workshop at Police Lines Bareilly for digital volunteers from all nine districts of the Bareilly Zone. The enthusiasm and commitment shown by the volunteers during this meeting once again highlighted how effective this initiative has become in tackling misinformation and maintaining public order.

Ramit Sharma is the brainchild of the entire Digital Volunteers Initiative. It all started in 2015 when, as DIG Meerut Range, he began reaching out to influential people on social media — bloggers, student leaders and active Facebook group admins — and turning them into “friends of police”. These Social Media Influencers became the earliest digital volunteers.

One admin, Kapil Bansal, whose Meerut page had over 15,000 likes, said at the time:

“I think it is a great move by the authorities to reach out to the general public… using this platform to create awareness is a great idea.”

Another admin, Naresh Kumar Giri of the popular ‘Mera Meerut’ group, added:

“I believe this is a very good initiative. This will ensure that people will get information and get connected with the authorities on a platform that everybody uses… this shows that things are changing now.”

The idea quickly gained official recognition. On 8 January 2016, the Director General of Police issued Circular No. 1 of 2016, formally directing every district in Uttar Pradesh to appoint digital volunteers. Within months, the initiative was extended across the entire state.

Since then, the programme has proved its effectiveness time and again. Ramit Sharma has continued to personally guide it — whether as IG Moradabad Range or later as IG Bareilly Range. The volunteers have repeatedly demonstrated their value by quickly spotting and countering rumours, especially during sensitive situations like child-lifting panics.

These volunteers have become the extended “eyes, ears and mouth” of the police on social media. They not only monitor platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and YouTube in real time for rumours, fake news, deepfakes or misleading content, but also actively amplify official police messages and awareness campaigns so that they reach the masses.

During the recent Bareilly workshop, the digital volunteers expressed strong commitment. One volunteer, Abdul Rashid Ansari from Sungadhi police station, Pilibhit, observed:

“today’s time is basically digital and very fast.”

Another volunteer, Lavleen Kapoor from Kotwali Bareilly, described the programme as:

“the best effort of the government” and stressed the importance of selecting only active volunteers who can genuinely spread cyber awareness.

Dhakan Lal Gangwar from Bareilly added:

“I am thankful to ADG Sharma sahab and the police team for the excellent guidance and arrangements.”

What makes this model truly remarkable is its human touch. These volunteers act as a bridge between the police and ordinary citizens — a modern-day extension of traditional peace committees, but operating at digital speed. The police rightly call them “digital soldiers”.

From a teaching perspective, this is an outstanding real-life case study for my students. It beautifully demonstrates that technology works best when it is supported by human judgment and community involvement. Motivated citizens provide the human intelligence layer that no algorithm can fully replace.

For my engineering students who read this blog, here’s the simple but important message I want to leave with you: as future technologists, you will have the skills to build sophisticated systems. But the real impact will come when you design solutions that empower ordinary people and strengthen institutions. The Digital Volunteers model shows how technology and community can work together to solve real societal problems.

I am genuinely optimistic seeing this kind of scalable, low-cost, and highly effective model growing steadily over a decade under consistent leadership. It proves that thoughtful innovation, when nurtured properly, continues to deliver results.

References

Prof. Kapil Gautam Delhi-based IT professor & occasional blogger (All views are entirely my own)

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