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India Today
10 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Why revenue officials still police parts of Uttarakhand
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated July 28, 2025)A narrow, slippery trail climbs steeply for 100 metres before you reach the remote chowki in Jakhnikhal tehsil of Pauri Garhwal district. The outpost is a rundown two-storeyed structure, its central hall serving as a shared office for several patwaris—revenue sub-inspectors tasked with policing dozens of villages between them. A rusted lockup now holds old documents and body bags; a toilet has become a records room. A few cracked chairs flank a bench; faded maps hang loose on the walls. Roshni Sharma, 27, has been posted here just a few months. 'We handle land records and police work, both,' says the young patwari, who has seven villages under her jurisdiction. 'It becomes hard to do either properly.'advertisementFor nearly two centuries, policing in Uttarakhand's hilly interior is carried out not by trained officers, but by revenue officials like Roshni—patwaris, kanungos, lekhpals—whose primary job was to maintain land records, collect taxes, compile census data and issue certificates. This Revenue Police (RP) system, introduced by the British in the early 19th century, still serves nearly half the state's area and about 25 per cent of its population. RP officials can file FIRs, investigate crimes, arrest suspects and submit chargesheets in court, but only up to a point. Cases of serious crime are transferred to the regular police, triggering a slow bureaucratic relay: from patwari to district magistrate (DM) to superintendent of police (SP) to the police station concerned. Evidence is often lost in the lag. After years of delay and resistance, the system is now under pressure. In May 2024, the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) gave the state one year to implement a 2018 judgment that had ordered the abolition of the RP system. But with 4,421 villages still under the jurisdiction of 478 RP chowkis, a civil contempt petition was filed recently, citing non-compliance. The court has asked the government to file a response. The state government, meanwhile, claims progress. According to official data, since 2023, 1,357 revenue villages have been brought under regular police with the setting up of six new stations and 20 outposts. Additionally, the jurisdiction of 52 existing police stations and 19 outposts has been expanded to encompass 1,800 more villages. But a lot of work remains. 'In the current day and age, we need police coverage in all areas because their work is not just limited to crime control and law and order,' admits Abhinav Kumar, a former acting director-general of police (DGP) of Uttarakhand, who is now posted as additional director-general (ADG), prisons. 'At present, almost a fourth of the state's population remains uncovered by the regular police. This is an anomaly that must be corrected.'A COLONIAL RELICThe RP system began after the British annexed Kumaon and eastern Garhwal (present-day Pauri Garhwal) from the Gurkhas in 1816. Finding little crime in the rugged hills, they chose not to deploy regular police outside towns like Almora and Nainital, instead giving police powers to revenue officials. After the 1857 revolt, while modern policing spread elsewhere, the British retained the RP model in hill areas under the Scheduled Districts Act of 1874. Also tried in parts of present-day Himachal Pradesh, Assam and some tribal regions, it was phased out there decades ago. Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, and its own Police Act came in 2007—but in many districts, the colonial system stayed in days, however, crime in the hills is no longer rare or simple. The rise of tourism, road networks connecting remote villages, the proliferation of mobile phones and porous borders have brought in organised crime, drug trafficking and cybercrime. 'Tourism brings new challenges,' says a retired IPS officer who served in both UP and Uttarakhand. 'When outsiders are involved, coordination is nearly impossible for the revenue police. Getting forensic help is also hard.'In RP areas, the patwari—who may be as young as Roshni—is the top investigating officer, regardless of the nature of the crime. There is no supervisory chain of command like in regular police stations, where cases are overseen by sub-inspectors, inspectors and deputy SPs. Training is minimal; one patwari admitted they had barely been briefed on the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC) last lack of training can have serious repercussions. The 2018 HC judgment stemmed from a 2011 dowry death case in Tehri Garhwal, which exposed delays and inefficiencies in the RP system. However, the state challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court. In 2022, the system's limitations were starkly highlighted again when 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari went missing from a resort in Rishikesh, where she worked. Her disappearance was reported to the local patwari, but no FIR was registered. The case was transferred to the regular police days later, by which time crucial evidence had employer, Pulkit Arya—the son of a former BJP leader—was later arrested for her murder (and recently sentenced to life imprisonment). The patwari in charge, Vaibhav Pratap, was suspended and arrested for negligence. The case triggered a political storm, with Uttarakhand assembly speaker Ritu Khanduri writing to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urging abolition of the colonial-era system. Soon after, the cabinet approved a proposal to phase out the RP. But, in many areas, nothing has Jhaid village in Pauri Garhwal district, for instance, residents recall an incident just weeks ago when an elderly man slipped into a gorge. With no road, and no regular police, it took locals and the patwari nearly eight hours to retrieve the body. 'It has been nearly 78 years since Independence, and still we have no proper police,' says Yogesh Maithani, a local. 'Many incidents go know the lone patwari has no resources.'advertisement CAUGHT BETWEEN ROLESFor patwaris, the job is a daily balancing act between civil and policing duties. 'We do the same work as a sub-inspector or inspector, but also handle land records, government schemes—and do it without vehicles, weapons or staff,' says Atul Balodhi, president of the Pauri District Patwari Sangh. 'Even our safety is at risk.'In disaster-prone hill regions, the patwari is also the first responder during landslides, floods and road accidents. So far, Roshni has dealt with two criminal cases—a missing girl and a village brawl. But as the area's de facto cop, more calls are sure to come. 'The worst is accidental deaths. We're expected to shift the body, arrange the postmortem, coordinate with the family—all without any support,' she says. 'We end up begging locals for help.' She now leans on two fellow women patwaris from her training batch—Monika, who covers seven villages, and Sheetal Negi, who manages 14. 'That's why we share the chowki,' she says. 'So we can help each other.'advertisementDespite multiple court orders and official commitments, progress on dismantling the RP system remains halting—partly due to political and administrative resistance. A senior IPS officer tells india today that the inertia stems from multiple quarters: 'Politicians are wary of disturbing a status quo that gives them informal leverage. The civil bureaucracy, especially at the district level, has the most to lose in terms of authority.' Even some locals are nostalgic about the patwari as a familiar authority IG (law & order) and police spokesperson Nilesh Anand Bharne is emphatic that reforms are under way. 'We are committed to improving policing and public services across the state, and replacing revenue police wherever needed. We have already brought large areas and population under regular police,' he with vast swathes of Uttarakhand still being policed by revenue officials, Balodhi complains that they are left to operate with outdated tools and little institutional support. 'The world has moved on. But we haven't,' he says. 'We don't have digital records, we're not connected to a centralised crime tracking network, everything is still on paper.' Unless the transition to regular policing is accelerated and implemented in both letter and spirit, accountability, justice and public safety in the hills will remain patchy—and patwaris like Roshni will be left to shoulder impossible burdens.—By Avaneesh Mishra in Dehradun and Pauri GarhwalSubscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends
Powys County Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Gurkha veterans in Powys face 'shockingly low' pensions
Calls have been made to improve the conditions for retired Gurkha veterans in Powys who are being forced to live on pensions below the living wage. Calls have been made to address the injustice facing Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997, many of whom now live in communities Powys, but are being forced to survive on 'shockingly low pensions, far below the UK's national living wage'. MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick met Gurkha veterans demonstrating in Westminster and has now submitted an Early Day Motion in Parliament calling on the Government to end this discrimination, gaining cross-party support. Despite fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with British soldiers in every major conflict for over 200 years, Gurkhas who left the British Army before 1 July 1997 are still trapped on the outdated Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS). The Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) assumed that Gurkhas would return to Nepal after their service in the British Army and not settle in the UK. As a result, it pays far less than the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) given to British soldiers, despite Gurkhas performing the same job. Today, many of these veterans, now settled in the UK, are living in poverty, including in Brecon and the surrounding areas, where they and their families have been part of the local community for generations. 'It is unacceptable that Gurkha soldiers who served before 1997 and put their lives on the line for our country have been denied equal pensions, leaving many in poverty here in the UK, including in communities such as Brecon, where Gurkha veterans and their families have made an enduring contribution," said Mr Chadwick. 'I will continue to stand against this injustice and use my voice in Parliament to fight for all Gurkhas, regardless of the date of retirement, to be granted full access to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme on an equal footing. 'I have already submitted a Parliamentary Early Day Motion on the issue with cross-party support and hope to take the issue up directly with Ministers at the earliest opportunity.' Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app Mr Chadwick has also written to the Veterans Minister to request a meeting to discuss the issue in more detail. In his letter he said: 'These individuals served Britain with bravery, professionalism, and loyalty. They fought alongside British soldiers in the same conflicts, under the same conditions, but continue to be denied equal recognition in retirement.
New Indian Express
29-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
The Call of the Forgotten Hills
Between 1798 and 1815,the Gurkhas exercised control over the Garhwal and Kumaon regions. Their presence brought the angrezes like Frederick Young, who enlisted as a 15-year-old ensign, and went on to become a general, having served in India for 44 years and set up Landour's convalescent depot. Elsewhere, atop a ridge in the library, rose Christ Church, the oldest Church in the Himalaya, built in the best Victorian, Indo-Cotswold style, with a William Hill organ. Along the bridle path came our older schools. By 1834, Mussoorie had acquired a reputation as 'the Eton of the East'. Wynberg-Allen Memorial School began in 1888, as did the Railway School in Jharipani. Waverly, the Convent of Jesus & Mary, for girls, was started in 1845, and St George's College, Barlowganj, came up in 1856. The lack of officialdom gave Mussoorie a risqué reputation. Desire was not the only force that drove the locals up the hill. Those early settlers needed porters. There are reports of a party consisting of 24 workers struggling to bring a grand piano up from Rajpur.
South Wales Argus
25-06-2025
- South Wales Argus
Brynmawr conman collected money meant for Gurkhas charity
Gerwyn Jones, 60, from Brynmawr swindled victims who believed they giving cash to the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Newport Magistrates' Court heard how the defendant 'obtained a pack containing 30 wrist bands, 30 pin badges and a green T-shirt, intending to cause loss to the Gurkhas Welfare Trust or to expose that charity to a risk of loss'. Jones, of Orchard Street, pleaded guilty to fraud. The offence was committed in Brynmawr between June 12, 2022 and September 16, 2022. He was ordered to pay £353 in a fine, costs, compensation and a surcharge. A spokesperson for the Gurkhas Welfare Trust said: "We assisted the police in gathering information on this matter and have no further comment." The Gurkhas are highly regarded soldiers recruited from Nepal and have served in the British Army for more than 200 years.
South Wales Guardian
20-06-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Fraudulent City boss ordered to pay back £64 million
Anthony Constantinou remains on the run after he fled the UK during his fraud trial at London's Southwark Crown Court in June 2023. Hundreds of investors were duped out of a total of £70 million between 2013 and 2015 while he ran Capital World Markets (CWM). A spokesman for City of London Police said a confiscation order was made against him on Thursday for the sum of £64 million, which is payable within three months. The default period of imprisonment was set at 14 years. Police released photographs of some of the luxury vehicles Constantinou spent his fraudulent money on, including a Porsche, Range Rover and luxury motorbike. They previously said he was thought to be in Turkey or Dubai after being stopped in Bulgaria with a fake Spanish passport. CWM had high-profile sponsorship deals with the Honda Moto GP, Chelsea Football Club, Wigan Warriors rugby league club, Cyclone Boxing Promotions and the London Boat Show. The seven-week trial heard how Constantinou spent £2.5 million of investors' money on his 'no expense spared' wedding on the Greek island of Santorini in September 2014, while his son's first birthday party a few days earlier cost more than £70,000. More than £470,000 was paid for private jet hire to fly him and his associates to Moto GP races across Europe as well as a return flight to Nice for a 150,000-euro five-day yacht cruise around the Mediterranean to Monaco. The firm paid £200,000 a quarter to rent 'plush' offices in the City's Heron Tower, while nearly £600,000 was spent on just six months' rent of his large home in Hampstead, north-west London, where his luxury cars were parked in the drive. Promised returns of 60% per year on risk-free foreign exchange (FX) markets, a total of 312 investors trusted their money to CWM. Some were professionals but most were individuals who handed over their life savings or pension pots, with a large number of Gurkhas paying into the scheme, said prosecutor David Durose KC. Constantinou denied wrongdoing but was found guilty of one count of fraud, two counts of fraudulent trading and four counts of money laundering and sentenced to 14 years in prison in his absence. Adrian Foster, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: 'This was a callous scam targeting members of the public. Many people lost their hard-earned money because of Constantinou's greed and false promises in this fake investment scheme. 'We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly with the City of London Police, where we identify available assets to disrupt and deter large-scale frauds like this case. 'In the last five years, over £478 million has been recovered from CPS obtained confiscation orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £95 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.' Constantinou was previously jailed for a year at the Old Bailey in 2016 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two women during after-work drinks. One of the victims described how the parties were just like the raucous scenes depicted in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf Of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as rogue New York trader Jordan Belfort.
