Gariahat police on Thursday found a musical way to reach out to residents and tell them why they should remain indoors and follow the government rules on lockdown.

The officers picked up microphones and sang a Bengali song based on a popular Anjan Dutt track.

“Eta ki 23412600, daktarder parcho ki shunte? Hanchi, kashi, shordi ba swash koshto holey, choley jao shoja haspatale. (Is this 23412600, can you hear what doctors are saying? Go and visit hospital if you are suffering from cough, cold, sneezing or respiratory problem),” they sang.

The lyrics promoted the coronavirus helpline number (23412600) and advised people to stay indoors during the lockdown, reminding them that the number of confirmed cases was rising and so the need of the hour was to follow the government orders.

“Hello! 23412600 Thako na ektu ghor bondi hoye/ Meter jachchhe bere oi Covid akromone/Sabdhan hote bolchhe sarkar (Hello! 23412600 . Please stay indoors. The Covid count is increasing and the government is asking you to be careful),” went the song.

Gariahat police officers said all police stations were trying to find unique ways to create awareness and they decided to do it through music.

The officer in-charge of the police station, inspector Soumya Banerjee, sergeant Debjit Mukherjee and sergeant Sourav Chakraborty took the lead and penned the lyrics to the tune of Dutt’s Bela Bose on Wednesday.

The trio practised at the police station till late on Wednesday.

Inspector Banerjee got some last-minute “training” from daughter Sourita, a trained classical singer, at home on Thursday.

“We are so happy that people liked what we did. The most beautiful part was when we were walking back to the police station, everyone standing on the balconies and by windows were clapping. All our efforts will be successful if people follow what we tried to say,” Banerjee told Metro on Thursday night.

A recording of the performance has been shared several thousand times on Facebook and through WhatsApp.

The officer-in-charge of Entally police station, Debasis Datta, had sung “We shall overcome” at a market in his area on Wednesday to spread a message of hope and encourage people to follow coronavirus guidelines.