Police send SC sarpanch ₹1.78 lakh bill for protection
Updated: Aug 3rd, 2024
Morbi Sarpanch police protection bill |
A Dalit sarpanch in Morbi has been billed almost ₹1.8 lakh — including 18% GST — for police protection.
Punabhai Devabhai Rathod of Ranmalpur village had requested protection from the Halwad police after filing a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The invoice has raised eyebrows since the law states that the police should have protected Rathod anyway.
According to Section 15A of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, “It shall be the duty and responsibility of the State to make arrangements for the protection of victims, their dependents, and witnesses against any kind of intimidation or coercion or inducement or violence or threats of violence.”
While filing his request for protection, Rathod submitted that he and his family were seeking protection due to the possibility of being attacked and their lives being endangered. He also approached the State Human Rights Commission.
“As it turns out, the petitioner was accorded ‘on-payment protection’ by one police constable and one GRD (Gram Rakshak Dal) jawan from July 9 to Aug 1, and was billed ₹1,78,963 for the 24-day period, including 9% CGST and 9% SGST. The invoice is signed by RT Vyas, Police Inspector, Halvad police station,” activist Kantilal Parmar told Gujarat Samachar Digital.
“Rathod and family are Indian citizens belonging to an SC group. They should have been afforded protection for free. It is troubling that the people who are expected to uphold the law do not seem to even know it,” he added.
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