Overview
- Deputy superintendent Rashmi Ranjan Das, 49, was recorded with bright red hair while on duty at a Jagatsinghpur protest, and the video drew widespread online trolling.
- Inspector General Satyajit Naik said he told the Jagatsinghpur superintendent to advise Das to keep a hairstyle “befitting a man in uniform.”
- Naik stated the Odisha Police has not issued any department-wide circular on hair colour or hairstyles.
- Some outlets report a formal warning directing Das to revert to his natural hair colour, a step not publicly confirmed by the department.
- Senior officers note the police manual does not specify hair colour, hair dyeing is common among personnel, and Das has declined public comment.