Palamu police visit 113 families under ‘Aapki Police, Aapke Dwar’ initiative to prevent domestic violence

THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK

Daltonganj, November 7: In an effort to strengthen police-public relations and prevent domestic violence, Palamu police teams visited 113 families across the district on Friday under the initiative ‘Aapki Police, Aapke Dwar’.

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The second round of the doorstep policing initiative covered all five police subdivisions — Sadar, Lesliganj, Hussainabad, Bishrampur and Chhatarpur. The programme, launched in October 2026, seeks to bridge the gap between families and the police by reaching out to households where domestic disputes and conflicts had earlier required police intervention.

Superintendent of Police Kapil Chaudhary told this correspondent late Friday night, “Our police teams visited 113 houses under the aegis of Aap ki Police Aap k Dwar”

According to a police press note, 44 families were visited in Sadar, 22 in Lesliganj, 21 in Hussainabad, 13 in Bishrampur and 13 in Chhatarpur.

Police Follow Up on Families With a History of Domestic Disputes

The initiative focuses on checking whether peace has been restored in families where police had earlier intervened following complaints of domestic violence, marital tension or other household disputes.

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Police teams visit such families to enquire about their welfare and living conditions and ascertain whether the earlier conflict has resurfaced. The outreach is also intended to reassure women and elderly family members who may face neglect, harassment or abuse within their households.

According to sources, several families were surprised to find police personnel visiting their homes on Dhanteras to enquire about their well-being and whether they were living peacefully.

The SP said the police generally play the role of an intermediary or negotiator in such disputes. The objective is to ensure that families where police intervention was previously required do not slip back into conflict or domestic abuse.

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Police Seek to Prevent Renewed Hostility

Police officials said the initiative is intended to prevent the recurrence of domestic violence by maintaining contact with families after an initial dispute has been resolved.

The police do not have the legal authority to adjudicate civil or marital disputes, but the initiative reflects an effort to build a more approachable and people-friendly image.

Civil society activist M.K. Sharma of Daltonganj said the police were neither acting as judges nor as adjudicators. Their role, he said, was voluntary and advisory, aimed at reducing tensions within households.

A woman from the Chhatarpur police subdivision described the change in the nature of police visits.

“Earlier police used to come to paste the court’s order on the wall of the house, asking ‘marad’ (male) to surrender, failing which kurki jabtee (attachment of property) would be done.”

“These days police ask us how our life is. Potahu (daughter-in-law) naikhey satawal la na (daughter-in-law no longer harassing? Hum ni k bhi kaha hai ki theek s raheen (Mothers-in-law are also told to live cordially,” added the woman.

Her account reflects how the initiative is being presented as an effort to move beyond enforcement and encourage dialogue and peaceful coexistence within families.

Rehla Police Station Resolves Elderly Couple’s Grievance

The officer-in-charge of Rehla police station, Gulshan Biruwa, shared an account of a family visited by the police team on Friday.

“We reached a family on Station Road, Rehla. Here, the elderly parents were denied food and medicines by their son and daughter-in-law.”

Biruwa recalled that the elderly couple had allegedly taunted their daughter-in-law over her squint eyes, following which she and her husband had subjected the elderly parents to harassment.

“The parents used to taunt their cross-eyed (squint eyes) daughter-in-law, following which her man and she used to torture the elderly in laws,” recalled Biruwa.

“We had to step in. This October, only the police had asked the stakeholders to shed their mistrust against each other,” reminded the police officer.

During Friday’s follow-up visit, the family reportedly informed the police that relations had improved and the earlier dispute had ended.

“This family told us on Friday all is well now. There is no rift or strife between the elderly couple and the cross-eyed daughter-in-law. The elderly couple get regular meals now,” added the police officer.

Police Walk a Fine Line in Family Disputes

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the initiative as a delicate exercise because officers have to deal with competing claims and grievances within family relationships.

“It’s a tightrope walk for the police where it is to referee most neutrally between the aggressor and the aggrieved all in a family bond so that the hiatus between the two doesn’t widen any further.”

The officer said the challenge was to maintain neutrality while encouraging both sides to resolve their differences and avoid further escalation.

Domestic Violence Remains a Concern

The report cited the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) as finding that one in every four women in Jharkhand had experienced physical or sexual domestic violence at some point in their lives. It also stated that domestic violence was more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas.

Sources further described frequent family quarrels and arguments as a concern in rural Palamu, noting that routine disagreements could sometimes escalate into physical violence.

Through ‘Aapki Police, Aapke Dwar’, Palamu police are seeking to intervene before such tensions intensify and to ensure that families previously requiring police assistance continue to live peacefully.

The initiative also places emphasis on the dignity and safety of women and elderly people, with police teams checking whether earlier assurances of peaceful coexistence are being honoured.