Worried over rising number of outsiders, Haripur residents file police complaint
Residents of Haripur town in Dehra sub-division of Kangra district have expressed their serious apprehension about outsiders living in their area. They submitted a memorandum at the Haripur police station, stating that during the last few months there had been considerable rise in the number of such people coming here under the guise of skilled workers seeking employment in small businesses. Their activities have created a panic and insecurity among locals who are scared to see people unknown to them living or working just next door.
Mandatory for outsiders to get registered at police station
As per the established law, it is mandatory for any outsider to get himself registered at the local police station by getting his/her antecedents verified. A landlord should also get his tenant registered at the local police station. Any violations could invoke legal proceedings. — Anil Thakur, DSP, Dehra
Atul Mahajan, head, Vyapar Mandal, Haripur, said, “The activities of people of a particular community have suddenly increased here due to which the local business community is worried.”
He was part of the delegation that visited the police station to lodge a complaint and asking officials to start a drive for the verification of the IDs and documents of migrants whose strength had grown exponentially.
Dr Sukrit Sagar, a social activist, said the law of the country gives everybody a right to reside anywhere, but only by following the due procedures which includes the police verification to avoid crimes.
He said besides verifying outsiders’ permanent place of residence, the police should check their purpose of coming to Haripur. He said the police should also investigate if they were getting any financial incentives for committing any nefarious activity in the area.
The delegation included panchayat pradhan Rakesh Kumar, retired employees’ association president Barjinder Guleria, Dr Yogesh Raina, lambardar Sandeep Sharma, former Vyapar Mandal head Des Raj, Nirmal Singh, Bunty Sharma, Dr Arvind Sharma, Harpal Guleria, Narendra Raina and Des Raj Sharma.
During the past few years, a sudden influx of outsiders in different villages of Kangra district has created panic among local natives. In the past 8 to 10 years, a large number of skilled masons, carpenters and polishers established a strong foothold in the construction sector at Dehra, Kangra, Jwalaji and Dharamshala.
Migrants from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand come to the district due to abundance of jobs in the construction sector. Arriving in big numbers and also controlling the economy to some extent, their presence is now seen as a threat by the local communities, especially in villages.
At 9 every morning, a large number of migrant labourers can be seen making a beeline at designated places like Hanuman Chowk at Dehra or Fountain Chowk at Kotwali Bazar in Dharamsala desperately waiting to be hired by contractors or anybody needing help.
The exponentially grown population of migrants could be gauged from the recently held Ganesh Chaturthi Utsav during which they took out huge processions.
Anil Thakur, DSP, Dehra, said, “As per the established law, it is mandatory for any outsider to get himself registered at the local police station by getting his/her antecedents verified. A landlord should also get his tenant registered at the local police station. Any violations could invoke Article 188 of the CrPC.”
The DSP further said, “The police had recently caught a family of robbers belonging to Pardhi community of Madhya Pradesh, which settled at Baglamukhi in Dehra. The family worked as hawkers in the day time and committed thefts at night.”
