Patna police make proclaimed offenders face music,of dugdugi

Publicly call out their names,with beating of the drums,more than 100 surrender.

Justice in Patna is marching these days to the beat of the dugdugi. Deploying the small drums as it walks the city lanes,calling out names of proclaimed offenders,Patna police claim to have shamed over 100 on its list of more than 3,000 to surrender.

This afternoon,it was the turn of Bindeshwari Prasad in Sipara,on the outskirts of Patna,to face the music,literally. To the sound of the dugdugi and a police band,a Beur policeman announced: Suno,suno,suno… Bindeshwari Prasad,pita Shankar Dayal Shah,Sakin Pipe Line,Sipara,Thana Beur,jo session court trial number 1248/ 2003 ke that proclaimed offender hain,ek saptah ke andar court ke samaksh samarpan karen,nahin to unki achal sampatti ki nilami ki jayegi.

Beur Police Station in-charge Mukhtar Paswan carried a list of 52 proclaimed offenders to be thus sounded out about their immoveable properties being auctioned. Once a person is declared a proclaimed offencer,his/her property is attached.

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Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Alok Kumar said they had faced some criticism from families of offenders,but added the campaign was effective and had got over 100 to surrender.

Let family and society put pressure on such persons, Paswan said.

He pointed out that after a property has been attached,the state government had the power to auction it if a proclaimed offender didnt appear in court for a specified time. However,Paswan wasnt clear whether the police could deploy a band or dugdugi to mount pressure on them to surrender.

Relatives of proclaimed offenders have objected to the public shaming. What is my fault? asked a relative. Just because I am related to a proclaimed offender,Ive been subjected to this kind of embarrassment. Secondly,the person is not yet a convict.

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Over a dozen police stations under Barh,Bakhtiyarpur and Mokama have faced resistance against the campaign. Some police officers and lawyers too are unsure about the legality of the exercise. An IPS officer said the law at best justified pasting of posters outside homes of proclaimed offenders.

A Patna High Court lawyer,Ravindra Griyeghe,said: Though the police can serve notice,this mode of campaign can get it into some trouble.

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