Internal Security

(In Response to Editorial of Garhwal Post )

To begin, with assessment of this state’s Internal Security will have to be divided among the following sub-heads, and unlike all other states of the country, we will have to devise our very own strategy. And, this should be :

( 1 ) Internal Security issues as they obtain in the “regular police” thanas, bordering Indo-Nepal border in the east ( there are encroachments, free-access issues which the state could improve without infringing the Indo_Nepal Treaty, improvement of than administration along the Kali riverine thanas and so on ), coupled with UK-UP border issues, in Rudrapur, in Roorkee sub-division etc,

( 2 ) Strengthening the age-old Patwari/Revenue Police Patwari Circles, with the over all strengthening of the Chief Revenue Commissioner set-up, reporting of crime, manning of Patwari Hqs in the absence of Patwari on tour, records and reporting of crime etc etc ( there is absolutely no need to convert these very low crime incidence regions from being handed over and converted into costly regular police set-up; there exists a lobby who would like to see a cost effective, time tested system replaced by a system which will remain plagued with the same issues, as one which plague the existing Patwari system today, their periodical training, transfer and posting amongst Police halka with a non-police halka ), and

( 3 ) Substantial strengthening of the Forest -Policing system; it is well known that our PAs are under-manned, manned by under-trained staff, ill equipped with modern weapons and intelligence network. It may be recalled that Cr PC was amended to provide wide powers of confiscation and apprehension to the Fores officers. One does not know how this has impacted on the preparedness of our Forest man-power and whether there has been any further consideration. It is well know that there is a nexus between the forest related/animal protection crimes and the criminal world outside forests. Manning of several remote forest PAs is an open secret even the World Bank pointed out that the Bhagirathi PA, constituting almost 40% of the entire PA hardly has any man-power, living within the PA. Same is the case with other PAs, and

( 4 ) Very effective co-ordination and collaboration among the three above-mentioned branches and the large Indian Army posted in our borders, as well as ITBP and SSB, which are part and parcel of any Internal Security, of this state.

Hope this and much more gets into revamping of our Internal Security, which by and large has remained without any major mishaps. Any complacency, however, could be fatal throwing this peaceful state into the bunch of other Himalayan States, ridden with intractable conflicts of various kinds. Let us take immediate steps lest it is too late.