The civil defence volunteers are acting as if they are law unto themselves

They don the khaki uniform, just like policemen, and can dangerously come in the way of your vehicle, surrounding it from all sides and forcing you to stop. They can even pull out the ignition key of your vehicle. Usually, at the first instance, a Delhi Civil Defence (DCD) “volunteer” will threaten you with a hefty challan if s/he catches you for even the minutest violation or accidental slip of mask. Naturally, one would immediately apologise or offer a genuine reason for the momentary slip-up rather than eagerly and willingly paying the fine. So the volunteer now asks you to pay less than the actual amount to “warm” their hands and let you walk away. All this is done in the name of compliance of the COVID-appropriate behaviour and hapless citizens are at the receiving end of it. No doubt, apart from those who are manufacturing masks, sanitisers and other medical essentials, the pandemic has opened up the opportunity for these civil volunteers to be out on an extortion spree. These “pseudo-policemen” desperately hunt for their prey, particularly those who appear poor, labour class or villagers who often take them to be policemen. Several people have complained that these volunteers often assume the role of traffic police and stop even those who might be wearing a mask but not the helmet or who haven’t fastened their seat belt. No wonder, they must be indulging in moral policing, too.

These civil volunteers extort money by threatening people with a jail term in case they fail to pay the fine. Ironically, there is no check on such activities and these continue unabated, with even the real policemen standing by as mute spectators to the deeds of the civil volunteers. Incidents of people clashing with the civil defence personnel are increasing in the Capital. In a recent case, a heated argument between a student and DCD volunteers turned violent at a traffic signal in South Delhi’s Hauz Khas and a volunteer allegedly hit the student with a belt in full public view. Thereafter, the DCD personnel were attacked by an irate crowd. These volunteers act like goons in khaki uniform. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal always demands that the police should come under the control of his Government, saying it will help rein in crime. However, such claims are a mere rhetoric and it’s hard to believe that a Chief Minister who cannot control the actions of civil defence volunteers will control the crime rate in the Capital. The Delhi Government has imposed night curfew and nobody, except those who are facing an emergency or are deployed in emergency duties or those with valid passes, is allowed to step out. As the police alone cannot handle the situation, the role of civil volunteers becomes indispensable. However, it must be ensured that these men in “uniform” do not overstep the limits of their duty; else we must be ready for something gruesome like the Nirbhaya incident hitting the headlines soon.