Queer though it may sound, even after 14 years since Uttarakhand came up as a State, the village watchmen locally known as village praharis who keep vigil in the villages to stop crimes and inform police about them get Rs 500 per month as wages and, worse, the payment is irregular. Taking note of their plight, the State police are all set to send a proposal to the State Government to increase their wages from Rs 500 to Rs 1, 000 per month, said State Additional Director General of Police (administration) Ram Singh Meena.
Ram lal, a village watchman, said that they keep vigil in the villages to stop crimes and inform police about them. “However, we receive a frightfully paltry Rs 500 per month as wages. The payment is also erratic. We have not been paid for the past 23 months. One can imagine our plight with prices of commodities sky-rocketing. This state of things has been going on for the past two years and more. Before 2010, village watchman used to be paid Rs 200 per month. The state government has remained callous regarding our plight,” he said, adding that the number of such watchmen working in the State is over 4, 000. The nature of the crimes has been changing fast as compared to the past. Cyber crimes are on the spiral, compounding their hardships in keeping peace in their respective villages, he said.
He further said that recently hundreds of village watchmen under the banner of Uttarakhand Gram Prahari Union had staged a stir at police barricade outside Rispana. “Our plan was to march to the Vidhan Sabha to gherao it in support of our demands,” he said.
Village watchmen report crimes to the local police station, Revenue Police, Nayab Tehsildar, Tehsildar and others on regular basis. Besides, they are not paid adequately when they are deployed on election and other government works. Their charter of demands includes increase in wages and regularisation of jobs among others. Besides, each village watchman should be given uniforms and identity cards.
Notably, the institution of village police or village watchmen came into being as per Section 47 in the Police Act, 1861. By this section, the authority of district magistrate and district superintendent of police was extended over village police.
Meena said, “Realising the fact that village watchmen are playing significant roles in district policing, we are going to send a proposal to the state government regarding increment in their wages on a priority.”