Uttarakhand to replace 150-yr-old 'revenue police' system

Dehradun, Oct 15 The Uttarakhand government has approved a proposal to replace the antiquated revenue police system in the state with regular police, in a phased manner.

Presently, Uttarakhand is the only state in the country where the revenue police, popularly known as 'patwari police', operates, wherein the revenue staff double up as police officers in the hill districts.

Six new police stations and 20 new police outposts will be set up in the revenue police areas which have witnessed a rise in tourism and commercial activities.

The six police stations to be opened in areas earlier controlled by the revenue police are: Yamkeshwar in Pauri district, Chham in Tehri, Ghat in Chamoli, Khansaun in Nainital, and Deghat and Dhaulcheena in Almora district.

Besides, 20 new police outposts (chowkis) are being opened at Lakhamandal in Dehradun, Beeronkhal in Pauri, Gaaja, Kandikhal and Chamiyala in Tehri, Nauti, Narayanbagad and Urgam in Chamoli, Chopta and Durgadhar in Rudraprayag, Saankri and Dhauntri in Uttarkashi, Okhalkanda, Dhanachuli, Hedakhal and Dhari in Nainital, Majikhali, Jageshwar and Bhaunkhal in Almora, and Barakot in Champawat.

During the British period, due to the specific social conditions and the negligible crime rate, a different type of administration was implemented here unlike the rest of India in which the patwari police system was also included.

Now after the Nainital High Court rebuked the Uttarakhand government, the latter has started preparing to end the over the nearly 150-year-old revenue police system and hand law and order responsibilities to the civil police just like in other parts of the country.

Since this transfer will not be smooth and considering life in the hills, the High Court order could not be implemented earlier. However, now in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case, where it will be difficult to punish the culprits, the patwari police has been dealt a severe blow.

The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand government has taken significant steps towards the deployment of civil police in the revenue areas of the state.

The patwari police is not just a law and order machinery but also a part of the Pahari (hill) society.

Due to the unique cultural environment, the administration of Uttarakhand was run under the Scheduled Districts Act, 1874, similar to tribal Assam and accordingly the patwaris were given police powers.

The credit for the patwari police system goes to British officials, G.W. Trail, who created 16 posts of patwaris and assigned them police work, revenue collection, land records etc. During the rule of the East India Company, a police station was opened in the hilly region of Almora in 1837 and in Ranikhet in 1843.

The revenue police system is in force in the area since 1874. At present, this system is applicable in about 61 per cent of the state. In this system, the patwaris, kanungos, naib tehsildars, tehsildars, pargana adhikari, District Magistrates, and Commissioners have to do the work of the police along with revenue.

It is the responsibility of the revenue police to investigate crimes, register cases and apprehend criminals in Uttarakhand. For some time now, the demand for handing over the revenue areas to the civil police has been rising. The reason behind this is that the revenue police do not have a solid system to prevent crime and due to lack of technical knowledge, they cannot investigate crimes effectively.

After the Ankita Bhandari murder case, the functioning of the revenue police again came in for criticism. The Chief Minister then decided to merge the revenue police with the regular police in a phased manner without delay.

With this decision, there is hope of getting timely justice for the villagers in the revenue areas from the new police stations and outposts.

As many as 7,500 villages of the state are under the purview of the revenue police. Earlier there was no need of the civil police in the hilly areas of the state because there had never been a serious criminal case here.

After the Ankita Bhandari murder that came to light recently, this demand gained momentum and the government also felt the need for deployment of civil police in the revenue areas.

Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar said, "The proposal to open six new police stations and 20 police posts in nine districts of the state has been passed in the cabinet meeting. After the issuance of the mandate, the framework for opening new police stations and outposts will be prepared. With the opening of police station posts in these areas, the problems of the common man will be resolved on time. There has been an increase in the number of non-locals and tourists and business activities in many revenue areas which has led to rise in crime cases."