The Mysuru city police have now made it mandatory for house-owners, who have rented out their premises, to provide details of their tenants to the jurisdictional police station.
The owners are required to furnish the details in the next 30 days failing which will attract penal action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code that deals with disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant.
Though the city police had introduced the scheme termed ‘Suraksha’ to collect data of tenants a while ago, the owners had not come forward with the details as there was no legal binding to the rule, City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda told The Hindu .
“We have now made it mandatory,” said Mr. Dayananda, who has passed an order in this regard under the provisions of the Karnataka Police Act. In the order dated May 6, Mr. Dayananda said the compilation of details of tenants and paying guests was necessary to ensure security of the city and maintenance of law and order.
With Mysuru’s rapid industrialisation and the population of the city already crossing 13 lakh, several people from outside the district and the State have found employment in the city. A few among them, Mr. Dayananda said, take advantage of the “anonymity” to commit terror acts, murder, extortion, dacoity and other heinous crimes, and go absconding, making it difficult for the police to trace them.
Owners of houses, apartments, serviced apartments and paying-guest accommodations should compulsorily provide their tenants’ details — name, permanent address, occupation, mobile number, Aadhaar card, voters’ ID card, passport and other details, along with a photograph.
While owners of houses, apartments and serviced apartments should provide the details in Form No. 1, the owners of paying-guest accommodations should provide details in Form No. 2. Both the forms are available with the jurisdictional police station.
Real estate agents have also been told to submit details of persons taking houses on rent in the limits of Mysuru City Police Commissionerate to the police in Form No 1.
The tenants have also been asked to inform the police within seven days of tenant vacating premises.
However, Baburaj P., Advocate and Director of People’s Legal Forum, Mysuru, has questioned the move. “The circular issued by the police is in the premise of suspecting all tenants as terrorists.
They [terrorists] will change strategy as and when required. This will end up giving trouble to city dwellers. There are many people living in slums without proper documents. Will the police throw them out or put them behind bars?”
Owners, who fail to provide details
in 30 days, face
penal action
