REPORT : ALOK SEMWAL
Dehradun. The state capital has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. A run of criminal incidents in Dehradun over the past few weeks has rattled residents and drawn sharp attention from the top — and now the police have been told, in no uncertain terms, that enough is enough. On Monday, Director General of Police Deepam Seth summoned senior officers to an emergency meeting at the Police Headquarters. The session, called on the direct orders of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, ended with one clear outcome: the launch of ‘Operation Prahar’ — a no-holds-barred crackdown on the criminal networks quietly taking root in the city.
IG Garhwal Rajeev Swaroop, IG STF Nilesh Anand Bharane, SSP Dehradun Pramendra Dobal and SSP STF Ajay Singh were among the senior officers who sat across the table from the DGP that afternoon.
Accountability, Assigned Officer by Officer
What set this meeting apart was that the DGP did not issue a blanket instruction and call it a day. He went around the room and pinned specific responsibilities on specific shoulders. IG Garhwal now owns the daily monitoring of Dehradun’s law and order — not a weekly review, not a fortnightly report, but a day-by-day watch. SSP Dehradun was told bluntly to get his house in order — assign work clearly to subordinates, follow up on it and make sure nobody gets to hide behind vague responsibilities.
Circle officers and station house officers got perhaps the sharpest directive of all — get off your chairs and get into the field. Hotspot areas across the city are to see a visible and sustained increase in police presence. Barriers and checkpoints are to be manned seriously, not as a formality. And specifically during the early morning hours, when the city stirs to life and is at its most vulnerable, circle officers are expected to be out there in person, checking on their teams rather than waiting for reports to land on their desks.
STF Gets Its Marching Orders
The Special Task Force has been given what amounts to a hunting brief. IG STF and SSP STF were told to go after criminal elements actively operating in Dehradun — identify them, track them and act. ‘Operation Prahar’ is their vehicle for doing exactly that, and the expectation is results, not just activity.
Tenants, PG Residents and Home-Stays: The Blind Spot Gets Addressed
One area that has long been something of a grey zone for city police is the vast and largely unchecked world of paying guest accommodations, rented rooms and home-stays. That changes now. A systematic and intensive verification drive has been ordered across all such properties in the city. Who is living where, under what circumstances and doing what — police are now expected to have answers to these questions. Home-stays, in particular, will be put under regular surveillance for any suspicious activity. And for bars and pubs that have been stretching their operating hours well past what the law permits, the free run is over — strict action has been promised and is expected to follow.
The DGP’s Closing Words Left Little to Interpretation
Deepam Seth is not known for dressing things up, and Monday’s meeting was no exception. He told his officers plainly that getting crime under control in Dehradun is the single biggest priority right now, and that every person in that room carries a piece of that responsibility. Alertness, accountability and genuine commitment to public safety — those were his three asks. As for officers who treat those asks as optional, the DGP made clear that they would be answering some uncomfortable questions very soon.
For the people of Dehradun, the hope is that this meeting translates into something they can actually feel on the streets — a city that is a little safer to walk through, a little harder for criminals to operate in, and a police force that is watching, present and ready.
