IIPM, GURGAON
To keep people from criminal activities, Assam Police has come up with a community project with a difference. Hemmanta Phukan and Dulal Misra take a look at Project Prahari
In our country, between the act of committing a crime and the pronouncement of a sentence by the court, there is no provision to identify the reason behind the act. A look into such factors would indicate that some of these causes are so deep-rooted and guided by social prejudices like the practice of black magic, sorcery, superstitions, etc., that law-enforcing agencies are helpless in curbing the incidence of such crimes.
In the inhospitable and socially isolated terrain of the northeast, marked by communal and ethnic conflicts, mistrust and hostility towards law-enforcing agencies, the apathetic attitude of development agencies, a weak resource base, low level of skills and literacy, a community policing project called Project Prahari is trying to bridge some of the social and administrative lacunae that propel people towards criminal acts.
The turning point which set the law enforcement agencies thinking was the brutal killing of five innocent villagers for allegedly practising witchcraft in the beginning of 2000 in Thaigarguri village of Kokrajhar district. The society has witnessed several such killings of innocent people, especially in the tribal dominated areas of Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Darrang, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Jornat districts, for allegedly practicing witchcraft. The victims are mainly economically backward, illiterate or widows who are targeted by the kabiraj or ojas, the local healer of diseases. When a villager suffers from an ailment, he prefers to go to the kabiraj instead of a hospital. To enhance his influence, the kabiraj enacts a nasty drama targeting an unfortunate villager or a family for bringing upon the disease. The kabiraj generally points to the economically or socially weakest family or villager. He also convinces the family and relatives of the sick person that if the family or villager termed as the witchcraft practitioner(s) could be chased away or killed, the patient would be cured.
It was to counter these critical situations that the Assam Police decided to delve into the root cause of criminal activities and bridge the gap between the administrative machinery and the villagers through Project Prahari. One of the major factors identified by the police behind such criminal activities was the underdeveloped condition of remote villages. In fact, most villages were not even connected by roads. The law enforcement agencies thus drew up a plan of community participation in development activities.
The brainchild of the Deputy Inspector General of police of the Western range of Assam, Kuladhar Saikia, since its inception in 2001,Project Prahari has been trying to hit at the root cause of social maladies so that law enforcement agencies can play a major role in preventing recurrence of such incidents. Though the project was first launched in violence-hit Kokrajhar district, its activities spread to other parts after DGP, Assam Police, declared the project as a state level police initiative. Starting from Thaigarguri of Kokrajhar district, the project now covers as many as 50 villages spread all over Assam. A village is selected under the Project if it is in an area which is either criminal or terrorist prone, communally sensitive or socially under privileged, backward and isolated.
Among its success stories is a motorable wooden bridge over river Kachua between Betbari and Charapara in Bongaigaon district built through community participation. This is the only link for village children to reach their schools. This has also provided a link for daily business activities between the villagers as well as police forays into inaccessible area where extremists were active earlier. A long abandoned Longa canal at Serfanguri was re-dug and repaired by residents of five villages. After the repair of the 4.87 km long canal, about 500 families of Kolabari, Pub-kolabari and Serfanguri villages benefit from irrigation facilities for their cultivable land.
By conducting community development activities through the Community Management Groups under Project Prahari, the Assam Police has succeeded in reducing the gap between the administrative machinery and the villagers. Simultaneously, emphasis has been laid on constant interaction between the local police and the villagers to create awareness against social prejudices like practice of black magic and sorcery.
The project's success has been appreciated all over the world. The Centre presented it to the United Nations in 2005. The Hyderabad-based SVP National Police Academy has documented the project in its ‘Compendium on Good Practices in Community Policing’ for emulation by other states. It has emerged as a significant community policing initiative that has strengthened people's involvement in deciding their security needs and also reoriented the principles of policing.
The man behind Project Prahari
Kuladhar Saikia, IGP (Border), Assam Police
What made you initiate Project Prahari?
When I was in Pennsylvania under a fellowship programme in 2000-2001, I got a chance to study the community development models of various nations. As part of the programme, I submitted a project to the World Bank. The project was appreciated and it inspired me to use the idea in my country.
How did you start Project Prahari?
After coming back to Assam, I took charge as the DIG of the Western Range of Assam. At that time, five innocent villagers were brutally killed for their alleged involvement in witchcraft in Thaigarguri village of Kokrajhar district. I found that the main cause of this incident was social and economic backwardness of the people. So, I took the initiative to mobilise the villagers by constituting Community Management Groups to create awareness against superstitions and involve them in development works. I consulted with the then DGP of Assam and he inspired me and asked me to go ahead. Thus Project Prahari was launched.
Did you face any bottlenecks?
Yes, I faced several problems as the village was in an insurgency-prone area. The outlawed organisations prevented villagers from associating with the project. But the police department took it as a challenge and changed the mindsets of the people and was able to win the confidence of the villagers. You may call this the first success story of Project Prahari.
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To keep people from criminal activities, Assam Police has come up with a community project with a difference. Hemmanta Phukan and Dulal Misra take a look at Project Prahari
In our country, between the act of committing a crime and the pronouncement of a sentence by the court, there is no provision to identify the reason behind the act. A look into such factors would indicate that some of these causes are so deep-rooted and guided by social prejudices like the practice of black magic, sorcery, superstitions, etc., that law-enforcing agencies are helpless in curbing the incidence of such crimes.
In the inhospitable and socially isolated terrain of the northeast, marked by communal and ethnic conflicts, mistrust and hostility towards law-enforcing agencies, the apathetic attitude of development agencies, a weak resource base, low level of skills and literacy, a community policing project called Project Prahari is trying to bridge some of the social and administrative lacunae that propel people towards criminal acts.
The turning point which set the law enforcement agencies thinking was the brutal killing of five innocent villagers for allegedly practising witchcraft in the beginning of 2000 in Thaigarguri village of Kokrajhar district. The society has witnessed several such killings of innocent people, especially in the tribal dominated areas of Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Darrang, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Jornat districts, for allegedly practicing witchcraft. The victims are mainly economically backward, illiterate or widows who are targeted by the kabiraj or ojas, the local healer of diseases. When a villager suffers from an ailment, he prefers to go to the kabiraj instead of a hospital. To enhance his influence, the kabiraj enacts a nasty drama targeting an unfortunate villager or a family for bringing upon the disease. The kabiraj generally points to the economically or socially weakest family or villager. He also convinces the family and relatives of the sick person that if the family or villager termed as the witchcraft practitioner(s) could be chased away or killed, the patient would be cured.
It was to counter these critical situations that the Assam Police decided to delve into the root cause of criminal activities and bridge the gap between the administrative machinery and the villagers through Project Prahari. One of the major factors identified by the police behind such criminal activities was the underdeveloped condition of remote villages. In fact, most villages were not even connected by roads. The law enforcement agencies thus drew up a plan of community participation in development activities.
The brainchild of the Deputy Inspector General of police of the Western range of Assam, Kuladhar Saikia, since its inception in 2001,Project Prahari has been trying to hit at the root cause of social maladies so that law enforcement agencies can play a major role in preventing recurrence of such incidents. Though the project was first launched in violence-hit Kokrajhar district, its activities spread to other parts after DGP, Assam Police, declared the project as a state level police initiative. Starting from Thaigarguri of Kokrajhar district, the project now covers as many as 50 villages spread all over Assam. A village is selected under the Project if it is in an area which is either criminal or terrorist prone, communally sensitive or socially under privileged, backward and isolated.
Among its success stories is a motorable wooden bridge over river Kachua between Betbari and Charapara in Bongaigaon district built through community participation. This is the only link for village children to reach their schools. This has also provided a link for daily business activities between the villagers as well as police forays into inaccessible area where extremists were active earlier. A long abandoned Longa canal at Serfanguri was re-dug and repaired by residents of five villages. After the repair of the 4.87 km long canal, about 500 families of Kolabari, Pub-kolabari and Serfanguri villages benefit from irrigation facilities for their cultivable land.
By conducting community development activities through the Community Management Groups under Project Prahari, the Assam Police has succeeded in reducing the gap between the administrative machinery and the villagers. Simultaneously, emphasis has been laid on constant interaction between the local police and the villagers to create awareness against social prejudices like practice of black magic and sorcery.
The project's success has been appreciated all over the world. The Centre presented it to the United Nations in 2005. The Hyderabad-based SVP National Police Academy has documented the project in its ‘Compendium on Good Practices in Community Policing’ for emulation by other states. It has emerged as a significant community policing initiative that has strengthened people's involvement in deciding their security needs and also reoriented the principles of policing.
The man behind Project PrahariKuladhar Saikia, IGP (Border), Assam Police
What made you initiate Project Prahari?
When I was in Pennsylvania under a fellowship programme in 2000-2001, I got a chance to study the community development models of various nations. As part of the programme, I submitted a project to the World Bank. The project was appreciated and it inspired me to use the idea in my country.
How did you start Project Prahari?
After coming back to Assam, I took charge as the DIG of the Western Range of Assam. At that time, five innocent villagers were brutally killed for their alleged involvement in witchcraft in Thaigarguri village of Kokrajhar district. I found that the main cause of this incident was social and economic backwardness of the people. So, I took the initiative to mobilise the villagers by constituting Community Management Groups to create awareness against superstitions and involve them in development works. I consulted with the then DGP of Assam and he inspired me and asked me to go ahead. Thus Project Prahari was launched.
Did you face any bottlenecks?
Yes, I faced several problems as the village was in an insurgency-prone area. The outlawed organisations prevented villagers from associating with the project. But the police department took it as a challenge and changed the mindsets of the people and was able to win the confidence of the villagers. You may call this the first success story of Project Prahari.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM ranks No 1 in International Exposure in the 'Third Mail Today B-School Survey'
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM
IIPM Excom Prof Rajita Chaudhuri
Kapil Sibal’s voters want Jan Lokpal, not Government-proposed Lokpal Bill
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"Thorns to Competition" amongst the top 10 best sellers of the week.
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS
'Thorns to Competition' - You can order your copy online from here
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