SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: As the old police commissioner office building at Purani Haveli gets a new facelift, a handful of ‘police thana’ and ‘police chowki’ in Hyderabad constructed during the Nizam era cry for attention.
Constructed in 1317 Fasli, (1907 AD), a big banyan tree project out of the dilapidated structure stands as a silent witness to Hyderabad’s rich heritage.
A few decades ago, the building was restored, and a police outpost was set up. However, as time passed, Hyderabad police officials abandoned the outpost fearing building collapse. A similar fate awaits the Chatrinaka police outpost at Ramaswamy Gunj Junction, which is slowly withering away. The Hussainialam police outpost at Puranapul Junction has been reduced to a storage space for traffic police belongings.
All these police outposts are in a pretty bad state and require immediate repairs to increase its longevity.
A local resident of Gowlipura Anees Khan believes these buildings reflect Hyderabad’s charm. “Such heritage buildings provide an insight into the past of the Hyderabad police and it should be protected at any cost,” he said.
Nizam-era police system
Historians explained that during the Nizam period, a network of police naka outposts or ‘chowkis’ were developed across Hyderabad city and its outskirts (Atraf-i-Balda areas).
These structures were designed with stone and brick masonry with jack arch roofs plastered with lime mortar. The building contained a front corridor enclosed by three arches and two rooms towards the rear. The compound contained an open space with a toilet block enclosed by a boundary wall.
According to several Hyderabad police archives, the head of the “thana” (police station) was called an “amin” while the rank equivalent to an inspector was known as “sardar amin“.
The assistant commissioner of police and the deputy commissioner were called “madadgar kotwal” and “naib kotwal” respectively. The entire city police force had distinctive uniforms and badges of rank. At the “thana” level there was a “jemadar” (general duty head constable) and a mohriri (writer head constable). The constabulary was called Barkandaz in the beginning but later changed to “jawan“.
In 1271 Fasli, the police force under the kotwal‘s control consisted of Arabs, Sikhs, Bharkandazes, and Harkaras, numbering 1,524 foot soldiers and 136 mounted personnel. The maintenance of this force cost Rs. 82,364.
The commissioner of police, popularly known as ‘Kotwal,’ was responsible for maintaining law and order, as well as preventing and detecting crime. The erstwhile Nizam’s state included areas now forming the present Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh.
SOURCE : SIASAT
