While cops say it's being done to prevent crime and check antecedents of those living there, residents allege that the operation is being conducted mainly in Muslim dominated areas. Imran Gowhar reports
While cops say it's being done to prevent crime and check antecedents of those living there, residents allege that the operation is being conducted mainly in Muslim dominated areas. Imran Gowhar reports
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Residents of Bhatkal were left confused for the past week, as the police conducted a door-to-door survey for the very first time in history.
Being targetted? A group of residents expressed their concern to the
Deputy Superintendent of Police M Narayana
The reason the police gave residents was that the exercise was to prevent crime and simply to check the antecedents and credentials of all those living there.
However, the locals were not convinced with the reason the police gave and according to them, the survey was mainly being conducted in Muslim dominated areas.
"The police said that they were collecting data as an exercise for crime prevention, but sought details of number of family members, ages, passport numbers, profession and property details," a resident told this reporter.
"When asked about a notice or intimation letter before the survey was conducted, they refused bluntly forcing us to part with information," he added.
Good measures
The matter was brought to the notice of the association who met Deputy Superintendent of Police M Narayana.
"He assured us that the exercise, which was being conducted district wise, was part of crime prevention and asked us to co-operate. Narayana also informed that police beat system in the town would be revamped and that they needed such data for preventive measures," Resident Association General Secretary S M Parvez said.
Parvez added that a check with other districts in Bhatkal revealed that no such exercise had been carried out.
Trouble coming?
Residents feel that if the police needed details, they could have accessed data from the recently conducted consensus.
"We are going to submit a detailed memorandum to senior police officers questioning this survey," Parvez said, adding that police action had scared the residents into anticipating trouble in future.
Meanwhile, senior officials of the Intelligence Bureau said that the police were trying to gather information on particular persons and since they could not do it specifically, they may have decided to do it this way.
R Ramesh, SP of Karwar, reiterated that it was a routine exercise to revamp the beat system. "Apart from crime prevention, such data helps us in investigations," he said.
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