Following the boycott of work by the patwaris since October last, policing remains in the doldrums in over 60 per cent of the State’s total area with the security of the people being left to the care of God. However, by way of a silver lining in the otherwise bleak picture, the High Court has prodded the State Government to take initiatives to have the indefinite strike of the Patwaris called off at the earliest. Moreover, the court has directed the Government to implement its no-work no-pay order on the agitating Patwaris. This aside, the court has sought a list of the posts lying vacant in revenue police by March 3.
Earlier, lauding the historically significant role of the revenue police, CM Harish Rawat had said they were the identity of mountainous areas of the State as Uttarakhand is only State of the country where revenue police exist. While conveying his sympathy to the institution, he, in the same breath, warned that they must resume work calling of the stir immediately. He had said that strict action would be taken in case they refuse to fall in line.
However, despite the CM’s strict gesture, the Patwaris are going on with their strike. Moreover, Rawat recently directed the state police head to take measures to take up all the cases related to women that occur in revenue police area of the State. He also said that if revenue police are bent on depriving the people living under their jurisdiction of their service the State Government will have no other option but to swap them with regular policing system in the revenue area of the State.
Things turned more difficult for the Patwaris after police department had submitted a proposal to the State Government to set up new 10 new police stations to cater to the need of policing in the revenue areas. The State Government has, however, not acted on the proposal so far. The DMs of concerned districts are understood to have concurred with the police proposal. State director general of police BS Sidhu said that a proposal had been sent to the State Government to set up 10 new police stations some months back. He expressed hope that the Government would soon issue GO in this direction.
Moreover, to cope with problems resulting from strike of the Patwaris who keep boycotting police works in support of their pending demands, the district magistrates concerned have deployed police in some revenue areas while in some other places, the Nayab Tehsidars have been empowered to lodge FIRs and complete the investigation if cases are reported in their assigned areas.
It should be mentioned here that the Patwaris of the State keep boycotting policing work since October 2, demanding advanced equipment as provided to the civil police, increase in number of outposts and allocation of budgets for them, among others. They are still sticking to their guns the court order and the State Government’s tough stance notwithstanding. They insist they have no option but to continue with their stir with the State Government sitting on their demands.
The British Government had introduced revenue police in 1861 with the creation of three posts like revenue inspector, revenue sub-inspector and a fourth class employee to collect revenue from the residents and to check crimes while maintaining law and order in the mountainous parts. Uttarakhand has a dual policing system, the only State in the country where such a system still exists. In some areas, the work is being done by the regular police while in the hilly parts, it is being done by revenue police. The area under the revenue police is 61 per cent of the total area of the State, it is learnt.