Kishtwar, June 29: In a significant move aimed at strengthening public safety and maintaining law and order, the District Magistrate, Kishtwar, has made police verification of all tenants and employees engaged by private establishments mandatory across the district. The order, issued under Section 163(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, comes into immediate effect and will remain operative for a period of two months unless modified or withdrawn earlier.
According to the order, intelligence and law enforcement agencies have expressed concerns that rented residential and commercial accommodations, as well as employment in private establishments, can be misused by anti-national, anti-social and other undesirable elements to conceal their identity and carry out activities prejudicial to public order, peace and security.
To address these concerns, every landlord, owner of residential or commercial property, attorney holder, caretaker, property manager, or any person exercising control over any premises in District Kishtwar has been directed to furnish complete particulars of every tenant to the concerned police station within seven days from the issuance of the order. The declaration must bear the signatures of both the landlord and the tenant and may be submitted either personally or through registered post to the Station House Officer concerned.
The order also applies retrospectively, requiring owners who have already rented out properties before the issuance of the order to submit details of existing tenants within the stipulated period. It covers all types of rental arrangements, including paying guest accommodations, rented rooms, servant quarters, labour accommodations, temporary shelters, shops, godowns, warehouses and other temporary structures.
Besides tenant verification, the District Magistrate has directed all private sector establishments, including firms, companies, contractors, hotels, guest houses, educational institutions, hospitals, security agencies, NGOs and other organisations, to submit complete details of every employee, contractual worker, labourer, domestic helper and security guard to the jurisdictional police station within seven days. No person shall be allowed to continue employment without furnishing details for police verification.
The order further directs all Station House Officers in the district to maintain dedicated registers, conduct verification expeditiously, undertake field verification wherever necessary and maintain updated digital as well as physical records. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, has been tasked with ensuring strict implementation of the directions through regular verification drives in coordination with Executive Magistrates.
The District Magistrate has warned that any landlord, employer or other person violating the order shall be liable for prosecution under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, besides any other action permissible under law. The administration has also directed that the order be given wide publicity through electronic and social media, the official website and public notices across the district.
