30 booked for getting authorities to construct village road at gunpoint in Gurugram

While police said Hoshiar Singh, the former chairman of block samiti, initiated the fracas so he could get a road constructed in front of a petrol pump he owns, Singh refuted the allegation and said all villagers wanted a road constructed at the spot because over 20 mishaps had taken place there

Published on: Sep 21, 2022, 22:59:36 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Police on Tuesday booked 30 residents of Naurangpur village, including a former chairman of block samiti, for allegedly obstructing the construction work of a master dividing road in Sector 78/79, threatening workers and officials of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) at gunpoint, and forcing them to construct a patch of road overnight in the village.

The newly constructed road in front of a petrol pump in Naurangpur village. (Leena Dhankhar/HT Photo)

While police said Hoshiar Singh, the former chairman of block samiti, initiated the fracas so he could get a road constructed in front of a petrol pump he owns, Singh refuted the allegation and said all villagers wanted a road constructed at the spot because over 20 mishaps had taken place there in the last couple of months and all their pleas to the authorities to reconstruct the road had fallen on deaf ears.

According to a complaint filed by a sub-divisional officer of GMDA, the team was working to construct a road in Sector 78/79 on Tuesday. “A private contractor, a team of GMDA and workers were on the site when at least 30 villagers came and started abusing the staff members. They assaulted the workers and held the team at gunpoint. They took away three machines and construction material and forced them to lay a 50-metre patch of road in front of a petrol pump on Tauru road,” said the complainant, requesting anonymity.

The complainant alleged that the suspects were armed with weapons and sticks and manhandled the team. “The tender was already allotted and a private contractor was completing the work. But the miscreants visited the spot and forcefully took them to another site that was not listed under the tender and got a road constructed there,” he said.

A senior GMDA official said that when the matter came to their notice, they took prompt action and lodged a police complaint against the villagers. “GMDA does not tolerate such actions--interfering with the government projects and manhandling the staff members while on duty. Strict action has been initiated by the police,” he said.

Police said they registered a case under sections 148 (riots), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 323 (causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 427 (causing damage) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code at Kherki Daula police station on Tuesday.

Rajender Singh, station house officer of Kherki Daula police station, said that they are conducting an investigation and raids to arrest the suspects.

“One of the suspects, identified as Hoshiar Singh, forcefully got a road constructed in front of a petrol pump he owns. He held all the staff members and workers of a private contractor at gunpoint to complete the task. The villagers accompanied him and assaulted the team members who were working on Tuesday,” he said.

Singh, meanwhile, said they had to resort to such tactics, because, despite several reminders, the GMDA officials were not paying any heed to their requests to reconstruct the stretch. “At least 20 accidents took place in the last two months on the stretch. The entire stretch is potholed and waterlogged throughout the year. We met all the officials, and gave written complaints, but nothing was done. We all decided to get together and get the repair work done,” he said.

Singh said that even if they are arrested, at least villagers can now safely travel on the stretch. “This is no crime to save lives of our people. Many small children have also suffered injuries and the entire stretch is not my personal property, it is used by the villagers,” he said.

GMDA officials, however, said that they had not received any complaints from the villagers regarding the potholed road.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More