Residents of Kalika Colony, Gorkha Nagar face harassment, restricted access to homes amid VIP visits to Bahu Temple
Jammu Tawi, October 17: An accredited journalist has alleged misbehaviour and intimidation by a Sub-Inspector posted at Bagh-e-Bahu Police Station after he was stopped near his home in Kalika Colony amid restrictions imposed in view of some ‘VIP’ visit during ongoing Navratra festivities.
The incident took place on Saturday when police personnel established a naka near Kalika Colony to regulate the movement of devotees towards the Bawe Wali Mata Temple in view of some senior police officer’s visit to the Temple. However, residents of Kalika Colony, Gorkha Nagar and adjoining localities have alleged that the restrictions, ostensibly imposed to regulate the movement of devotees, have also caused severe inconvenience and harassment to local residents seeking to reach or leave their homes. Even residents who reportedly disclosed their identities and established that they lived in the affected localities were subjected to restrictions, raising concerns over their ability to move freely to and from their own homes. Many residents claimed that they were compelled to take diversions via the Narwal route, causing unnecessary hardship.
The journalist, a resident of Gorkha Nagar accredited by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), said he attempted to explain his position to the police personnel while trying to reach his home. However, he alleged that the concerned SI behaved rudely and attempted to intimidate him despite his showing his accreditation identity card.
According to the journalist, the SI told him, “I am talking to you politely right now,” before allegedly continuing to behave in an inappropriate manner.
Questioning the manner in which the restrictions were being enforced, the journalist said the incident raised serious concerns about the treatment of ordinary residents, who were allegedly being made to face unnecessary obstacles in accessing their own homes despite establishing their local identity. He maintained that security arrangements for visiting devotees should not become a source of harassment for people living in the surrounding localities.
Several locals present near the naka also reportedly expressed resentment over the restrictions, claiming that residents of Gorkha Nagar, Kalika Colony and adjoining areas were facing repeated difficulties in entering or leaving their neighbourhoods during the security arrangements. They alleged that even genuine residents were not being given adequate consideration after identifying themselves, resulting in restrictions on their routine movement and causing avoidable distress to families living along the route to the shrine.
Pointing out that a large number of people reside along the roads leading to Bawe Wali Mata Temple, the journalist appealed to senior police authorities to examine the matter and issue clear directions to the personnel deployed at the naka. He stressed that while regulating the movement of devotees was necessary, a reasonable mechanism should be put in place to allow verified local residents to reach and leave their homes without undue obstruction or harassment.
He warned that continued inconvenience could compel residents to stage a protest. While acknowledging the need for adequate security arrangements during Navratra, he emphasised that such measures must be implemented in a balanced and sensitive manner, respecting citizens’ dignity and their ability to access their homes. Security restrictions, he said, should not result in genuine residents being treated as outsiders in their own neighbourhoods.
The journalist urged senior police officers to look into the allegations, assess the difficulties being faced by residents of the affected localities and take appropriate corrective action, if warranted, after examining the facts of the incident. He also called for clear instructions to ensure that security arrangements facilitate the smooth movement of devotees without unnecessarily curtailing the routine movement of local residents.