‘Mera Diwali gift kahan hai?’ Gurugram Police takes ‘action’ against Home Guard after viral cash-seeking video

Gurugram Police told LiveMint it was taking ‘disciplinary action’ against a home guard filmed allegedly seeking a Diwali ‘gift’ from content creator Vikas Dayal at a checkpoint. The video shows the home guard accepting a hamper before allowing Dayal and his sister to leave.

Gurugram Police on Sunday said they were taking “disciplinary action” against a home guard after a video showed him allegedly seeking a Diwali “gift” from a content creator who was stopped near a checkpoint at, ASI Sandeep Kumar told LiveMint. The home guard appeared to seek cash and refused to accept payment via UPI.

Content creator Vikas Dayal shared the video on Instagram on Saturday, showing an interaction with a home guard. The video captures the home guard exchanging Diwali greetings with Dayal before the conversation turns to a gift.

Dayal posted on Instagram, stating, “Mera Diwali Gift Kaha Hai. Happy Diwali.”

What does the video show?

The creator initially tells the home guard that he is not carrying his wallet. When the home guard asks what happened, Dayal offers to send money through UPI. However, the officer responds, “No, no. I don't do UPI".

The home guard initially examines the things kept at behind of the seat where Dayal's sister was sitting. The conversation then shifts to a Diwali hamper. When the officer asks about the gift, Dayal says, “It's a Diwali gift.” He further mentions that it contains silver items.

At one point, Dayal tells him that a gift should not be asked.

The interaction ended with the home guard letting them go after accepting the hamper.

Internet reacts

One of the social media users remarked, “So bad seriously.” Another asked, "Sarkari salary nahi aati kya inki (“Don't they get a government salary?”).

An Instagram user also commented, “Same happened with me near Cyberhub, Golf Course road.”

A user tagged Haryana Police and said, “What's this behaviour”.

The video has garnered over 1.4 million views within 24 hours of Daya posting it on Instagram.

Gurugram Police register 36 cases, apprehend 23 accused in firecracker crackdown

Meanwhile, Gurugram Police registered 36 cases under the Explosives Act and apprehended 23 people during a special drive against the illegal sale and storage of firecrackers ahead of Diwali, police said on Friday.

As part of the enforcement campaign, 53 special teams have been formed at the police station, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) levels. Special crime branch teams have also been deployed to inspect their respective areas, according to the police.

The teams are conducting regular checks at markets, firecracker shops, warehouses and other locations suspected of being involved in the illegal sale or storage of fireworks.

Zone-wise crackdown

Police said special surveillance is being maintained to identify activities involving the unauthorised sale, storage and distribution of firecrackers. Legal action is being taken against those found violating the law.

Of the 36 cases registered in a single day, 10 were reported in the East zone, where nine accused were apprehended. The South zone recorded five cases and two apprehensions.

In the West zone, police registered nine cases and apprehended nine accused, while the Manesar zone accounted for 12 cases and three apprehensions.

Police said the 23 accused had either been arrested or joined the investigation in connection with the cases.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X