A ‘criminal village’ with a brigade of notorious youth in Haryana

Siwah (Panipat): Siwah Village of Haryana’s Panipat District is today known for its notorious record for having a brigade of jailbirds, as almost every third or fourth family has its youngsters involved in criminal activities. The village, which is resided by around one thousand families, has nearly 250 youngsters booked for charges that include snatching, robbery and even murder. Almost every second or third family has a member or two booked for some criminal activity in police records. Committing crime is no big deal for the youngsters here, who visit the nearby Patna city to loot or kill people during evening for easy money. Village elders in the Panchayat (village council), however, blame the government of all their ills. They complain that had their youngsters been provided job opportunities, then the entire picture could have been different than what it is today. "The criminal activities are prevalent in our village because of unemployment. They indulge in such activities for being idle. They disturb people, and at times, rob them off their belonging and also keep fighting with each other," said Pratap Singh, a member of the Siwah Village Panchayat. Other members of the Panchayat say that the youths also take to such criminal activities to have a reach in the ‘mighty’ groups that are operational here. Jalovan Singh, a villager, said: "This place has become a venue known for criminals. From incidents of snatching to murders, the crimes now do not surprise anyone here. Most of the youngsters are unemployed and motivated from Bollywood movies. These guys are always on the look out for money." The neighbourhood villages also know about the crime record of Siwah Village and hence many of them consider it inauspicious to enter this village. Local administration, on the other side, though well-aware of the rampant problem, is not keen to do something to curb this menace. The Deputy Superintendent of Police of the area refused to comment when asked about the presence of such a big proportion of criminals in the village. Villagers complain that be it local counsellor or any person in authority, they appear least bothered. None of them have ever inspected the village and paid heed to villagers’ woes. Incidentally, the Samjhauta Express train blast in March had taken place near Siwah Village. Many residents were reported to have lent a helping hand to the victims. Bureau Report (with ANI inputs)