Now a diktat from Kharar village: ‘Migrants should not be seen outside after 9 pm’
The village is home to 2,000 people, including 500 migrants, who the villagers say will have to follow certain instructions to continue to stay in the village.
After a village in Kurali barred entry of migrants, now Jandpur village in Kharar has displayed boards, restricting migrants from roaming in the village after 9 pm.
The village is home to 2,000 people, including 500 migrants, who the villagers say will have to follow certain instructions to continue to stay in the village.
The multiple boards placed in the village display 11 instructions, including strict guidelines for migrants. The diktat, however, has prompted some to leave the village, while more are planning to follow suit.
Apart from no strolling outside by migrants after 9 pm, the list of instructions includes mandatory police verification of migrants, no cigarette smoking, no chewing of tobacco (gutka) and betel leaf(paan) to curb spitting on village roads and provision of dustbins by house owners while renting property to migrants.
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The list further bars more than two people in a room, migrants roaming around in half attire and state the house owner will be accountable in case any migrant indulges in illegal activities or harms villagers.
Villager Sajjan Singh, expressing his anger, accused migrants of roaming around half naked, embarrassing female residents. Another villager Gurmeet Singh said the migrants, especially those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, spit on roads outside the village gurdwara, which was disrespectful to their religion.
The villagers also have the support of the area councillor. “We are not against anyone, but we want them to maintain discipline. We have especially stressed police verification of migrants. Many people here are living without verification by police and thus we will now hold the house owners accountable too,” said councillor Govinder Singh Cheema.
Though the board clearly mentions a warning to migrants to not roam outside after 9 pm, Cheema said they were not only targeting migrants but also villagers who created ruckus at night after drinking alcohol.
Kharar police, admn intervene
Meanwhile, after the Kharar police and senior administration officers intervened in the matter and questioned villagers’ authority to impose such diktats, the villagers said they would apply the rules across the board.
“We had a meeting with the police and the administration, and thus we are getting the boards changed and will apply the same rules for everyone,” the area councillor said.
Kharar DSP Karan Sandhu said police were ensuring peace and keeping a close watch on the developments in the village. Earlier, in a similar startling development, a village in Mohali’s Kurali last month had passed a resolution barring migrants from residing in their village. Citing some “theft incidents”’ in which, they claimed, children of the migrants were involved, scores of residents of Mundo Sangatiyan village, located about 45 minutes from Mohali city, signed a resolution stating that no migrants will be given a house on rent in the village.