Cops use India’s latest cricket hero to spread msg of road safety
Times of India | 1 November 2025
Kolkata: India's new hero,
, who guided the Indian women's cricket team to the World Cup final on Thursday, is being celebrated across the country. The Kolkata Police, too, decided to pay their ode to her innings and spread a message through her against
and overspeeding. Cops posted a picture of Rodrigues with the caption, "Keep calm, don't rush and reach the destination safely… Just like our women reached the finals today."
A DCP said the message was not restricted to just driving carefully and safely; it also wanted to focus on multiple cases of road rage that are on the rise. "The city is now on a short fuse. There is unnecessary honking. Even petty incidents of one vehicle brushing past another are leading to arguments and assaults. Recently, we received complaints about how even women in cars got assaulted in cases of road rage. The tale of Rodrigues is one of being calm.
When our captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, got out trying to force the pace of the innings during the chase, Rodrigues refocused herself. She did not try to force anything. This is a lesson we want everyone to follow," explained the officer.
On Friday, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra recalled the times when Indian women cricketers were mocked and asked to remain in the kitchen with memes. He recalled something he posted after the team lost the 2017 WC against England and what followed were harsh comments and trolls.
"Despite all the instigations, the team stayed focused. That's the calmness one needs to show despite adversities," said a traffic cop.
Police said their IT team picked up how Rodrigues was trending all over social media and decided to join in. "Her emotions that were on show and her interviews only helped us redirect our strategy," said an IT team member.
In 2023, Kolkata Police did not miss out on the opportunity to cash in on the Oscar madness, choosing to celebrate the song Naatu Naatu from the film RRR that made history by becoming the first Indian film song to win an Oscar. Last year, during the India vs England Test Series, a particular on-field incident on the final day of play went viral. Indian captain Rohit Sharma was seen warning Sarfaraz Khan to wear a helmet before fielding at forward short leg.
KP latched on promptly and attracted thousands of responses.
"A meme always drives home a strong message through easy language and banter," said a joint CP.