Deepak Bangar: How A Sniper Cop's Instagram Reel Exposed A BRICS Security Breach

A Delhi Police constable deployed as a rooftop sniper during the 18th BRICS Summit has been suspended after Instagram videos he posted from his security post went viral, drawing criticism for exposing sensitive details of a high-security operation. Constable Deepak Bangar was removed from his assignment and sent back to his home district once the footage came to the notice of senior police officials, who have since ordered a departmental inquiry.

The episode has become a case study in the risks that personal social media use poses to sensitive security deployments, at an event that brought together several world leaders under some of the tightest security arrangements India has mounted in recent years.

Who Is Deepak Bangar?

Bangar is a constable with the Delhi Police, posted with the Foreigners Cell in the force's Northwest district — a role that, under ordinary circumstances, would keep him largely out of the public eye. Little else about his background has been reported; his sudden prominence stems entirely from his temporary assignment to VVIP security duty during the BRICS Summit and the videos he posted while on that assignment.

What Was He Deployed To Do During The BRICS Summit?

India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, drawing world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, among others, under an expanded BRICS grouping that now includes several partner nations.

As part of the extensive security cover for the summit, Bangar was assigned to an overwatch team — made up of spotters and snipers positioned at elevated vantage points to protect VVIPs — and given sniper duty on the terrace of a five-star hotel in Central Delhi where foreign delegates were staying. He was issued an official BRICS Summit 2026 identity card for the assignment.

What Did His Instagram Videos Show?

At least two videos surfaced from Bangar's personal Instagram account, with some reports describing a third. In one, recorded during the day, Bangar appears in civilian clothes wearing his BRICS Summit identity card, hitching up his shirt to reveal a service pistol holstered at his waist while the hotel's surroundings are visible behind him.

In a second video, he is seen looking through the scope of a sniper rifle and taking aim from the terrace, with nearby buildings — including structures used for VVIP purposes — visible in the frame. A further clip reported by some outlets showed other security personnel and their equipment on the same terrace, including a colleague using binoculars, as the camera panned across the view from the vantage point.

Why Did The Footage Raise Security Concerns?

The videos effectively broadcast the precise location and layout of a vantage point being used to protect visiting heads of state, along with the personnel, firearms and equipment stationed there — details that overwatch teams depend on keeping undisclosed for the deployment to serve its purpose.

Social media users who viewed the reels were able to identify the location themselves, and many publicly questioned the wisdom of publicising a sniper post's exact position and sightlines during an active, high-profile international summit. The concern was less about any single frame and more about the cumulative picture the videos offered of how VVIP security was actually structured that weekend — precisely the kind of operational detail such deployments are designed to keep out of public view.

How Did The Videos Come To The Police's Attention?

Bangar posted the videos himself to his personal Instagram account. As they circulated and went viral, they drew significant criticism online from users questioning why footage of an active security operation — including firearms and a sensitive vantage point — was being shared publicly at all.

That viral spread is what brought the videos to the notice of senior Delhi Police officials, who then examined the footage and moved against him; the department did not detect the posts through its own monitoring before they had already reached a wide audience.

What Action Has Been Taken Against Him?

Delhi Police removed Bangar from BRICS security duty and suspended him with immediate effect, sending him back to his home district. A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the force had taken serious note of the disciplinary lapse and ordered a departmental inquiry to establish the circumstances in which the videos were recorded and uploaded, with further disciplinary proceedings to follow depending on the inquiry's findings.

The case has added to heightened scrutiny of social media use by police personnel on sensitive assignments, where seemingly casual posts can end up revealing details of security arrangements and locations that are meant to stay confidential.