Jehangir’s justice comes to Bihar

Manoj Chaurasia writes

 

Manoj Chaurasia
PATNA, Aug. 4: A police officer in Bihar has taken a leaf out of Mughal emperor Jehangir's book. He has hung a bell outside his official residence. A supplicant seeking justice can ring the bell any time of the day or night, and the officer promises to make himself available to help. More than 500 people have already sought the officer's intervention in the 10 days since the bell was hung.
Legend has it that Jehangir, who reigned from 1605 to 1627, hung a bell between Agra Fort and the bank of the Yamuna river, to allow his subjects direct access to his justice. The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Tirhut range, Mr Arvind Pandey, has hung the bell outside his residence in Muzzafarpur town and calls it the "Jehangiri Ghanti" (Jehangir's bell).
The moment a citizen rings the bell, constables on duty open the huge iron gates of the officer's bungalow. If the officer is available, an audience is granted instantly. If not, one is scheduled.
"I feel time is a key factor and this instant initiative can save precious lives. Some persons though being innocent had to land in jail just for want of timely help and I don't want to repeat mistakes of the past", Mr Pandey said in an exclusive chat with The Statesman over phone today.
"I don't meet people only when I'm out of my residence", Mr Pandey asserted. He said scores of people were rushing to him to get instant justice. A majority of the petitioners are those against whom warrants of arrest have been issued.
Giving an example of one such case, Mr Pandey said: "One day a villager rang the bell at an unusual hour. He complained that the police wanted to arrest him in a case involving a dispute with another villager. But the parties had already settled their dispute in court. I forwarded a copy of the court's order accepting the compromise to the police station and was able to stop his arrest." Policemen, he said, should not only be available for the masses but also be easily accessible. Unusually for Bihar, the DIG has made public even his cell phone and private numbers.
Only last month, Mr Pandey had made headlines when he launched a "Music Therapy" programme for the "turnaround of Bihar". Under this programme, musical troupes have been travelling to remote areas and appealing to masses to not get involved in disputes.

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