Other States - Rajasthan   

Village chowkidar back on his beat

JAIPUR: The good old village chowkidar will make a comeback in Rajasthan’s rural areas now with the new Police Act, passed by the State Assembly last week, carrying a provision for enlistment of village guards to oversee law and order. An institution supported by the villagers themselves, the rural police died a slow death some time after the integration of the princely states between 1949 and 1956.

The new Rajasthan Police Act, 2007, conceived on the lines of the Model Police Act, 2006, drafted by the Soli Sorabjee Committee, provides for enlisting of one person or more to function as village guard(s) for a village or group of villages. All able bodied persons between 30 and 55 years of age and living in the village/villages are eligible though preference would be to those serving in the Government departments or affiliated institutions, home guard volunteers and ex-Servicemen.

“The concept of rural policing is not there in India unlike in Europe,” notes M.K. Devarajan, Additional Director-General of Police, Rajasthan.

“The police authorities in the State wanted reintroduction of the institution of village chowkidar as it worked very well in the past,” he points out.

“The enlisted person would be given a reasonable honorarium though it is obvious that this alone should not be his livelihood.”

Any villager considered for selection would have to be without any criminal record or conviction in an offence involving moral turpitude. He cannot be also a member of a political party or an affiliated organisation. The appointment is for three years, which will not be extended or renewed.

The District Superintendent of Police is the authorised person for the recruitments. The selected persons will have an identity badge and a photo identity card.

The duties of the village guard—who will be a public servant within the meaning of Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code—include reporting occurrence of any crime or law and order situation in the village to the authorities and maintaining a general vigil. He will pass on information on developments of any conspiracy in the village and assist a private person authorized to arrest anyone under Section 43 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Despite protests from the human rights groups which had demanded a public debate on the Police Bill before it was made law, the police authorities here are satisfied over the draft which, they think, almost fulfils the Supreme Court directives of September 2006 on police reforms.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Village chowkidar back on his beat

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu