A crime-free village in Sonepat

BS Malik

When we often hear reports of rise in crimes such as murders, attempt to murder, and armed looting of vehicles, ATMs, and filling stations in Sonepat district, Nakloi village, around 16 km from Sonepat, has almost zero crime record in the last many decades.

The village has a population of around 4,000 belonging to different castes, including minority communities. There is complete social amity and communal harmony in the village and all residents respect each other. They work together in fields as well as in other activities of the village.

Sarpanch Jagbir Singh says that some families from Bidhlan village had settled in their village around 500 years ago. The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture, and animal husbandry and around 300 persons, including youths, from the village are in government service or serving in armed forces and paramilitary forces. Hawa Singh and Ram Sarup from the village had sacrificed their lives in the wars against Pakistan and were honoured posthumously.

“Jahan Tak Mujhe Pata hai, pichhle 50 saalon mein koi police case gaon se nahi hua hai. Agar kabhi koi jhagda ho jata hai to gaon ki panchayat aur aziz log use gaon mein hi nibta deti hein” (So far as I know, there has not been any police case in the village in the last 50 years. Even if there is any dispute sometimes, the gram panchayat and other responsible people settle it in the village), he says.

Raje Ram (96) and Maha Singh (80) say that they have not seen a police station or courts in their life and other villagers also do not like to approach the police in trivial matters. However, they recall that a few years ago, a liquor shop was opened in the village and an innocent youth lost his life in an incident of firing by youths from other village outside the shop. The gram panchayat decided against the liquor shop and no such shop had ever opened after that incident.

However, villagers expect some facilities from the government. Their demands include the construction of a boundary wall, and a cremation ground, and opening of a veterinary dispensary, as animal husbandry is one the main occupations of the families of all castes in the village.

There is shortage of drinking water in many parts of the village and the street along the school boundary wall as well as the nearby playground remains waterlogged. Sandeep, Hari Om, and Ram Singh, village youths, say that they can't play cricket on the ground as it remains waterlogged and the area has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Ramesh Kumar, SHO, Sadar police station, Sonepat, says that Nakloi is a peaceful village and no crime report is received from there. People from other villages should take a lesson from Nakoli village.