Gurugram villagers made authorities construct broken road overnight at gunpoint, 30 arrested

New Delhi: Police arrested 30 Naurangpur village residents, including a former block Samiti chairman, on Tuesday for allegedly obstructing the construction work of a master dividing road in Sector 78/79, threatening workers and officials of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) with guns, and forcing them to construct a patch of the road overnight in the village. While police claimed that Hoshiar Singh, the former chairman of the block Samiti, instigated the fracas to get a road built in front of a petrol pump he owns, Singh refuted the claim, claiming that all villagers wanted a road built at the site because over 20 mishaps had occurred there in the previous few months and all their pleas to the authorities to reconstruct the road had fallen on deaf ears. 

According to the complainant, the suspects were armed with weapons and sticks and abused 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 quotes. As per a report by the Hindustan Times.

As per a senior GMDA official, when the matter was brought to their attention, they acted quickly and filed 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.

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

According to Rajender Singh, station house officer of the Kherki Daula police station, they are conducting an investigation and raids to apprehend 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 quotes.

Meanwhile, Singh stated that they had to resort to such tactics because, despite several reminders, GMDA officials were not responding to their requests to reconstruct the stretch. "At least 20 accidents occurred on the stretch in the last two months." Throughout the year, the entire stretch is potholed and waterlogged. We met with all of the officials and filed formal complaints, but nothing was done. "We all decided to get together and finish the repairs," he explained.

Even if they are arrested, Singh claims that villagers can now travel on the stretch safely. “This is no crime to save the 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,” says Hoshiar Singh. However, the GMDA officials stated that they had received no complaints from villagers about the potholed road.