Indore cop 'moonwalks' to control traffic

Traffic police constable Ranjeet Singh can easily be mistaken for a typical policeman who is assigned the difficult job to discipline chaotic traffic in Indore city.

However, for Singh manning traffic is like a mission and he executes it through "moonwalking"--a dance move immortalised by pop legend Michael Jackson.

Singh, clad in white shirt and blue trousers with sunglasses on, makes heads turn and drivers cannot fail to notice him across busy intersections in the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh when he moonwalks.

For Singh, the motivation to do something different so as to make people pay heed to follow traffic rules came after the death of his friend in a road accident a few years ago.

Singh (40) has been doing the "moonwalk" move to control traffic for the last 12 years.

The moonwalk is a pop dance move in which the dancer moves backwards while seemingly walking forwards.

However, after becoming a social media phenomenon, Singh now feels it taxing to cope with the growing demands of people who ask him to show his moves.

The constable, who has become a sort of celebrity, claims to have 1.38 followers on Facebook and 76,000 followers on Instagram.

"At times when I am extremely tired while doing my duty in scorching heat some vehicle drivers ask me to show the moonwalking moves. This is true that the social media has accorded a special status to a common police personnel like me, however, at the same time, I also experience the unnecessary burden of expectations of the people due to the social media," he told PTI.

Singh said sometimes he felt difficult to bear this burden.

"I am in police force where discipline is supreme. My moonwalking act on road is aimed at performing my duty in a better way," he said.

A number of photos and videos of Singh in the act are being shared on the social media.

For Singh, the motivation to do something different to make people pay heed to follow traffic rules came after the death of his friend in a road accident.

"One of my friends had died in a road accident when he was on his way to meet me a few years ago. After this incident, I thought I should do something different to make people follow traffic rules," he recalled.

Singh's moonwalking evokes awe and ridicule at the same time.

Sharing various experiences, the constable also recalled how some people laugh at him and whisper among themselves over his style.

Singh said he was now used to different kind of reactions his moonwalking evokes at traffic signals.

"Besides the social media, I also receive strange reactions in real life as well. My father is a police officer and he has reprimanded me a couple of times because of my moonwalk, but I know what I am doing," he said.

Singh's intention is to make people obey traffic rules through "moonwalking", which he feels would reduce number of accidents and save many lives.