Police brass is still hopeful that the State Government would allow regular police to set up a police station in Tyuni area by withdrawing the revenue police. They said that it is an imperative in view of the tension running in the region over the sensitive temple entry issue and Monday’s landslide that killed at least 10 Nepali nationals who were working on a road project.
“Had regular police been there things would have been different regarding the violence that broke out over the temple issue. Besides, regarding the deaths in landslides, we could have lent a helping hand in relief and rescue operation, something that revenue police ve are not in a position to do,” said a senior cop while insisting on anonymity. However, observers say it is unlikely that things would happen the way police brass wants because of the political compulsion of the ruling party. “They are most unlikely to reverse things in fear of backlash from the locals. This, particularly so as the election is drawing near,” said one of the observers.
A senior police officer said on condition of anonymity that they had been at the receiving end of the blame for what had happened at Silgur Devta Temple over the Dalit entry issue. “However, this is unjustified as we had no role to play to quell the mob violence involving two communities of people. The people often tend to forget the fact that the region is under the jurisdiction of the revenue police. We have nothing to do unless we are called by the administration,” he said.
“Had a police station been set up in Tyuni things would not surely have come to such a sorry pass,” he added.
Another police officer said that had police post or police station been there, the tragedy that the landslides triggered in the area on Monday killing ten people might have been mitigated. “At least, we could have plunged headlong in relief and rescue operation,” he commented.
Observers say that long after the tragedy happened a team from Dehradun comprising officers of various departments reached the site of the incident to conduct relief and rescue operation. “It took them some hours to reach the spot. However, had there been a regular police station there things might have been swifter. But as things stand now, the government would have to clear decks for setting up a regular police station there. The sooner the better,” one of the observers said
What a BJP leader recently alleged is significant. He said that the home minister and local MlA Pritam Singh is standing in the way of the regular police stepping in the sensitive tribal-dominated region. Crimes happening thick and fast and drug peddling continuing unabated, the state government should overrule the home minister’s inhibition and allow regular police to set up a police station in the region, the BJP leader had said. Note-worthy, the newly reinstated Harish Rawat government had handed over policing back to revenue police from the regular police in crime- prone Tyuni area of Chakrata region, withdrawing the administration’s decision to open a regular police post, taken at the behest of the Governor when the state was under the President’s Rule.