Devprayag Police Station Registers Only Four Cases in 2025

“The first case was registered when a man illegally transported 240 bottles of whiskey from Punjab. Then, a hotel owner was heckled by a group of people… Another case was a missing person complaint because a man fell into the river in his vehicle. Recently, a man accused his drunk brother of hitting him with a stick. He insisted we file an FIR. We conducted a medico-legal test and registered the case.”

“This side of the river has small villages. Most disputes are not reported to the police. Instead, they are resolved at panchayats and gram sabha meetings. Crime in the hills is low because there is hardly anyone left here now.”

“Many youth from the village would earlier join the armed forces. But that took a hit after the Agnipath scheme was launched. Most youth are employed in the informal sector now. Some who stayed back are employed by MGNREGA (now VB-G RAM G) or doing construction work. There is no local economy left now.”

“Only 3% of arable land is cultivated now. Since crops were being raided by wild animals, we started growing turmeric instead of wheat and millets. We consume whatever we grow; nothing is for sale. That too resulted in a drop in income. Why would someone want to stay back here?”

“I passed the written test, but not the physical exam. I am looking for jobs in the plains now. Only 22 people are left in my village. My friend (also 26) and I are the only young adults currently.”

“I asked for help and they sent someone over.”

“There is nothing to report here. Everything is okay.”

“Most matters got resolved themselves or at the chowki. A man called us one night. He claimed his brother had staked a claim on his land. We told him we would come over in the morning. When we called for directions in the morning, he told us they had made up. Then there was the man who had accused his neighbour’s cow of destroying his crop while grazing in his field. Under what Sections could we have registered his complaint?”

“Policing is difficult. It gets very cold here. We also get frequent VIP duties since the three former Chief Ministers visit Garhwal frequently. Having no crime to solve does not mean it is an easy job.”