Cops or highway robbers?

After a short hiatus following a MiD DAY report, Uttarakhand policemen posted at the Tapovan police station on NH 58 are back to the business of collecting bribe and letting private vehicles illegally pass through at night

Old habits die hard, especially if they are bad ones. Uttarakhand cops posted at the Tapovan police station on National Highway 58 are back to the business of collecting money and allowing private vehicles to pass through the check post at night. However this time their modus operandi has changed. Now they have hired a local guy and have given him the responsibility of collecting money from drivers.

Appointed by the cops, flashes a torchlight before going up to collect
the money from a truck driver at the Tapovan police station on
National Highway 58. Pic/Subhash Barolia

After MiD DAY carried out an investigation in January exposing the local police, the practice was put on hold for some days. But again after a gap of three months, the cops are back to business in a smarter way.u00a0 When MiD DAY visited the spot, our reporter noticed a boy in his late 20s standing barely 50 metres ahead of the check post.u00a0 The boy had a torch in his hand and as the trucks passed by, he focused it on them. On this signal, the speeding vehicles slowed down and handed him money. Then the boy signalled at the policeman standing at the check post with his torch, which meant the automobiles should be allowed to go through.

Dark secrets: The agent

After dark
This MiD DAY reporter stood there for about an hour and investigated the entire matter. Those who tried evading this 'tax' were stopped at the barricade and not allowed to leave unless the money was paid. Driving through Tapovan police station onto National Highway 58 in Uttarakhand is prohibited after dark because of fog, lack of lighting.

On request of anonymity, a local shopkeeper running a vegetable shop said: "This is one thing which has been going on for years. In a single night police earn thousands of rupees from the vehicles. Anything between Rs 50-200 is demanded of the vehicles. The guy who has been given the responsibility of collecting money is given some cut and the rest is kept by the police. The locals have filed several complaints against the problem but hardly any action has been taken."

"Now after the summers, rainy season will come and heavy rainfall will damage the road at places. Coupled with steep drops and no lighting, driving at night can be fatal," added the shopkeeper.

En route
The National Highway 58 is one of the busiest highways passing through Uttarakhand connecting Delhi to Mana through major tourist destinations like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Hemkund Saheb, Joshimath and Oly. The barricade put clearly reads: "No vehicles, except trucks carrying fuel, are to pass through this stretch after 8 pm."

Earlier on January 5, this MiD DAY correspondent and our photographer went to the check post at the Tapovan police station, near Laxman Jhula (the first such post on the highway) close to the time when the entry of the vehicles through the highway was to be stopped. Parking the vehicle by the roadside, the MiD DAY team stood at a shop nearby and watched the events unfold at the check post.

Within half an hour, a long queue of vehicles had lined up, waiting to cross the post. Though the number of trucks was more, only a few of them were carrying fuel. Some private vehicles too were in the queue. Then all of a sudden, the vehicles rumbled on across the post. A closer look and the team found drivers silently handing over currency notes to the policeman at the post.

Clueless!
When MiD DAY contacted Rajiv Swarup, the newly appointed Superintendent of Police of Tehri District, he said, "I have recently been appointed as SP and I am not aware about all this happening in my area. I will definitely carry out a detailed investigations on this and if need be, will be personally visiting. These risky practices will not be encouraged in my area."

Earlier the state emergency operation centre at Secretariat Campus in Dehradun, said, "No vehicles, not even trucks, should be allowed to pass through the check post after 8 pm. The only exception is for trucks carrying fuel. This law is applicable throughout the year given the number of accidents that happen during night time in the hills. But the police have their own agenda.

Rough ride
In June last year, five people, including two women, were killed when a car in which they were travelling fell into a river at Gangnani area of Uttarkashi district. The incident took place at Nagdevta temple on Rishikesh-Gangotri national highway late in the night when the car skid and fell into the Limki river.
In another incident on the same night, eight people were injured when the two cars in which they were travelling collided head-on in Kaladhungi area of Nainital district and the cars fell into a pit.
On January 5, this year, 22 people, including 13 children and four women, were killed when their bus overturned and fell into a ditch on the outskirts of Dehradun. The bus was part of a convoy of eight buses carrying tourists from Haridwar who were returning after a day's sojourn in Mussoorie. The officials suspect that the driver, who escaped from the spot, was in an inebriated condition and had lost control of the vehicle.