Pradip R Sagar By

NEW DELHI: More people died taking selfies in India than anywhere else in the world in 2015, claims a media report. There is another side to the Indian selfie craze; careless selfies can not only cost you your life, but can also haunt you for the rest of your life.

A freshly-promoted DRDO scientist had to face the ignominy of being demoted because of his selfie craze. Sushil Kumar was so happy about his new position that he clicked several selfies with his new chair, table, office and the view from his office window and posted them on his Facebook page. Only when vigilance officials landed at his doorstep that he realised that the highly sensitive defence installation was not the right place to express one’s enthusiasm for selfies.

Kumar was appointed Director, Material Management, at DRDO headquarters in Delhi last month after years of service in Solid State Physics Laboratory and was involved in key projects such as Akash and Nag missiles.

Vigilance officials seized his smartphone and directed him to remove his selfies from social media. He was sent back to his previous laboratory.