Though failure of social policing is blamed for any unprecedented increase in social crimes but in Kashmir increasing social crimes are the outcome of increasing social carelessness but not the failure of social policing. In December last year though killing of an elderly woman by a non local house servant in Lal Bazar area of Srinagar City triggered a debate over the role of police in the engagement of domestic servants by the households but police cracked the murder case of the woman in short times by arresting the culprit and starting the legal process for investigation. Yet again in the same Lalbazar locality an act of duping a household by two domestic servants in connivance with a Delhi based service provider was cracked by police in less than six hours by arresting the culprits with recovery of Rs 74000/- from them. Though Delhi based service provider is yet to report at the concerned police station in Srinagar but the victim has got a respite with the arrest of the two main accused with the recovery of Rs 74000/- from their posseession. So in both the police has done it’s duty to the utter satisfaction of the victims and as such the carelessness of the households is to be noticed with seriousness. The cruelty and criminality of non local house servants necessitates changes in the service contract procedures for engagement of non local house servants as the trend of engagement of non local house servants for housekeeping services has shown an unprecedented rise in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley due to unprecedented changes in the life styles of people during last more than a decade now. The killing of an elderly woman by a non local house servant in Lalbazar area of old Srinagar city in December last year and duping of another household by two non local domestic servants early this week as such is by all standards of understandabilities a wakeup call for both the society taking pride in changing life styles and as well as administration particularly police discharging the duties of crime control not only in Jammu & Kashmir but also in all the states and union territories of the country. Though it is gratifying that police has done it’s job by arresting the non local house servant turned killer of the old aged local woman in a short span of few hours in December last year and two more house servants early this week after they tried to flee from Kashmir but the contemporary society in Kashmir needs to ponder over the introduction of changing life styles in the conduct of family matters particularly those concerning the handholding of elders including the parents and the children. Though people in Kashmir are still conscious enough to take care of their parents and as well as children to their entire satisfaction because of which the need for old age homes has not arisen till now but both the killing of Lal Bazar Woman in December last year and the duping attempt of two more house servants early this week in Lal Bazar has proved it beyond doubt that people also show lackadaisical approach in handholding their parents and children. The way Lal Bazar family has risked the life of elderly woman carelessly in December last year shows that people in Kashmir now even risk the lives of their parents for their own conveniences. Leaving elderly woman in the age of mid eighties alone at the mercy of a non local house servants makes no sense as the security and safety of the life of the elderly woman was by all standards of understandabilities at risk in absence of entire family and presence of a non local house servant who by all standards of understandabilities was a stranger to both the family and as well as the immediate neighbours of the family. Similarly getting a domestic servant through a Delhi based employment contractor instead of non local contractor makes no sense. Such carelessness by the people is absolutely suicidal.
Housekeeping Services without safety and security measures is not a facility for the homely comforts of elders and children but it a risk of life for both the children and the elderly people who are now mostly looked after by non local house servants in Kashmir valley.
Human wisdom demands that people don’t leave their parents or children in isolation in their houses at the mercy of non local house servants who by all standards of understandabilities are strangers to both the local populations and as well as the administration including police. The circumstances leading to the killing of elderly woman in Lalbazar Srinagar in December last year and the duping attempt of two non local house servants early this week in the same area necessitate the police verification of both the local and non local house servants hired by people from housekeeping service providers operating in different parts of Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley and such a police verification certificates if made mandatory for the service contract agreement between the housekeeping service providers and the concerned family could be a permanent safety measure. What matters the most is the registration of housekeeping service providers with the offices of both the district magistrates and as well as district police chiefs. Households on the their part have to ensure that they hire domestic servants only from local service providers and not outsiders base in Jammu, Delhi or any other part of the country. Housekeeping Services without safety and security measures is not a facility for the homely comforts of elders and children but it is a risk of life for both the children and the elderly people who are now mostly looked after by non local house servants in Kashmir valley.
