New Delhi

Sordid tales of highwaymen

The busting of a gang of "serial killers" has once again brought to the fore safety aspect of highways, says Prashant Pandey

Highways may be used by people for purposes of transport or for a long drive. But the safety aspect on these roads has always been suspect, if not completely non-existent. And this has once again been highlighted now with the busting of a gang of "serial killers", operating primarily on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, by the Gurgaon police.

While the tales of a gang of taxi drivers who would offer a lift to stranded people, loot them, kill them and then dump the bodies are shocking, this is not the first time such a gang has been busted. The Delhi police in 2003 had unearthed a gang that allegedly stole more than 150 vehicles and, in the process, killed at least 45 people on the highways of western Uttar Pradesh while on the way to Delhi.

In their case, the story was the other way round. They used to hire taxis from various cities in U.P. for Delhi and then kill the drivers on the way, dumping the bodies in desolate areas. During interrogation, the gang allegedly had confessed to having lost count after 45.

Contrary to rather "spontaneous" acts of the gang busted by the Gurgaon police now, the gang busted in 2003 used to plan in advance. The vehicles acquired upon killing of the drivers used to be sold away in markets of North-Eastern States and also in Nepal for good amounts.

While these two cases are specific examples of unsafe highways, there have been many other cases of carjacking, abduction, robbery and even murder on the highway. Quite a number of truck drivers have been killed and looted by highway robbers. And a few of them have been reported from the border areas of the Capital.

For that matter, one of the most sensational cases of highway crimes was that of Outlook cartoonist Irfan Hussain in 1999. Irfan's body was found on National Highway-24, a fairly busy highway on the East Delhi border.

The police had arrested a few persons but the court acquitted all of them in March this year for lack of evidence. A few years ago, a newly-wed woman was gang-raped and killed while her husband was seriously injured by a gang of rifle-wielding men on a highway at Muzzaffarnagar in UP.

The culprits, wearing police uniform, had flagged down their vehicle when the Delhi-based couple was returning from Hardwar.

These and many other similar cases clearly indicate that highway policing is not high on the agenda of those at the helm. Policing on the highways requires a lot of coordination not only among States but also within various districts and police stations through whose jurisdictions the highways pass.

While several other agencies concerned with transport and safety have harped on the dire need for ensuring traffic regulations on highways to reduce fatalities -- particularly on the newly constructed highways where the speeds are high -- not much has been said about policing.

Last year, at the Central Government level, the idea was mooted and there was a proposal to set up highway policing units.

It was proposed that while the power to arrest and investigate would rest with the local police, the highway police would be more for regulation and providing immediate assistance. Some States, including Haryana, have set up such units but the Gurgaon case has indicated that a lot more needs to be done. Creating awareness among people about likely pitfalls of travelling on highways may be a short-term exercise. In the long run, features like well-equipped highway patrol units, installation of cameras and highway help line service will have to be set up to make highway experience safe and secure.

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