<![CDATA[The Police Commissioner Mr.Rajeev Kumar from his official handle tweeted"Sob penalty miss hoe na (Not all penalties are missed),”on June 22. An image of Lionel Messi missing a penalty against Ireland was compared with that of a sergeant penalizing an errant biker driving without a helmet. Ever since the World Cup fever held the city firm, the Kolkata Police has been driving home messages to motorists through innovative memes. Sample this couplet: “Speed limit maante hoe, sobai to aar Messi noe (Maintain speed limit, not everyone is Messi).” This message is delivered with the image of Messi speeding past a defender alongside that of a driver being punished for over-speeding. These memes, shared on Kolkata police’s official Twitter and Facebook handles (their combined following adds up to almost a million), have not only gone viral but have also been the most-talked about campaigns of the police on road safety. The football fans in Kolkata accused the police of favoring Argentina. Mritunjoy Hazra, 22, pointed out that Christiano Ronaldo was faster than Messi and asked why Kolkata Police should patronize Messi alone. But the police did not disappoint Ronaldo fans either. “Kom hok reshareshi, weekend-e Ronaldo Messi, (No rivalry on the road, Ronadlo and Messi are playing this weekend). The two models are shown alongside two speeding buses trying to overtake each other, one of major reasons for accidents in the city.]]>
