Author: Rohit Parihar
Publication: India Today
Date: October 3, 2005
Introduction: A police officer finds a way
to help Rajasthan villagers resolve knotty and longstanding disputes
It was an unexpected windfall for Naina Devi, a handicapped widow. When her
husband Govind Ram died 14 years ago, she found herself embroiled in a land
dispute with her brother-in-law Gyarsi Lal. The dispute lingered in courts
for years before the Jaipur Police decided to intervene. With the help of
village leaders, a series of meetings were held between the wrangling relatives
and it was decided that Naina Devi would pay Gyarsi Lal Rs 50,000. In return,
she got land that was priced at Rs 40 lakh. She now hopes for a bright future
with her 15-year-old son Kailash.
This is one of the few hundred cases that
have been settled in Jaipur villages over the past six months as part of Operation
Milap initiated by Jaipur Superintendent of Police Anil Paliwal. "I found
that thousands of families waste precious years and money in fighting cases
over petty issues like right to way and claims over land," he says. "Often,
these fights result in criminal cases and threaten the peace of the village."
This prompted the police officer to work out
ways to identify such cases and take the initiative in contacting the warring
sides. As it happened in the case of Dhani Janglat in Tunga near Madhogarh
Fort. A hundred families were allotted land there but without the right of
way to the nearest road that was a kilometer away. The landlords refused the
settlers a passage through their fields. The problem persisted for years.
Finally, Paliwal persuaded three farmers to let a road pass through their
fields. Now, a gravel road is being laid there and both sides feel happy about
it. Says Harish Latta: "Instead of being forced, I was persuaded to give
a piece of my land for the road. The act brought me a feeling of goodness."
Paliwal holds frequent meetings with contending
sides to explain the advantages of settlement. Once a solution is arrived
at and cases are withdrawn, Paliwal publicly honours those who succeed in
working out a compromise.
The innovative effort has caught the attention
of other district police chiefs and Rajasthan Police now officially encourage
such efforts to deal with petty offences. However, some disagree with this
approach. "We should be focusing on preventing and investigating major
crimes and law and order problems rather than indulging in such cosmetic exercises,''
says one police officer. The peacemakers insist that by settling petty cases
quickly, the police will perhaps have more time for such tasks.