Maharashtra Police may soon need to cover up its insignia. Reason: The official logo displayed on the sleeves of nearly 180,000 policemen across the state sports a ‘hand’, Congress party’s official poll symbol.Anandji Joshi, an activist, has sent a legal notice to Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Gadre, pointing out the issue and demanding action. Last year, the Election Commission had directed that all elephant statues in Uttar Pradesh be covered during the state assembly elections as it was the symbol of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party. The order had sparked a debate on whether tax payers’ money should be used to cover the elephants.“The badge is worn by lakhs of policemen as part of their uniform. On polling day, hundreds of policemen are deployed at booths. This amounts to canvassing and gives undue advantage to a particular political party,” read Joshi’s letter to the EC, filed on behalf of NGO Forum for Fairness in Administration.In defense of his argument, Joshi pointed out the October 2010 Election Commission circular, which prohibited the use of party symbols on government buildings or at public places at government expense.Before 2012, the EC had also asked the authorities to cover all photographs of former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee on boards along the national highways.“If such an action was taken in the past against elephant statues and Vajpayee’s photographs, then the EC should be unbiased and take a fair decision in this regard as well,” the letter added.Meanwhile, Gadre was not available for comments despite repeated attempts.The Congress adopted the hand as its official poll symbol in the late 1970s after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi formed the Congress (I). Before that the Congress’s official symbol was two bullocks with a plough. Since the bullocks had become synonymous with the Congress, a new symbol was chosen after Gandhi broke away.The Maharashtra police adopted its logo in the 1950s. Joshi said if the EC failed to take action on his complaint, he would move the Bombay High Court.