Members of Salat's community were recently picked up near the Palvasan chowky by cops and were released only after a field officer of the VSSM intervened.
When some members of the Salaat community (a gypsy tribe of Gujarat) sat on the pavement close to Palavasan Chowky, 70 km from Ahmedabad on the Mehsana highway, hawking bedsheets, they very well knew the dangers of coming in the way of speeding vehicles. However, what hit them instead was the Goods & Services Tax (GST). And guess who was worried about the GST violation? The Gujarat Police!
Members of the community, which was part of the several denotified tribes from Gujarat, who gathered in the city on Thursday to attend an event organised by the Vicharta Samuday Samarthan Manch (VSSM), said GST was the new tool that police used for "extortion". Traditionally in the business of flour-making, the Salaat community now ekes out a living buying and selling bedsheets.
"We buy from big traders by making advance payments. They give us handwritten bills. We go house-to-house to sell or sometimes sell on sidewalks," said Babubhai Manjibhai Salat.
Police harass us often and we pay them a bribe either in cash or by way of bedsheets," said Salat.
He said the harassment begins with the cops accusing them of stealing bedsheets. "When we produce our purchase bills now, they ask for the GST number and we end up paying a bribe," Salat added.
It may be noted that several denotified tribes in the state are still branded as 'criminals' and are often picked up by police for questioning in robbery cases.
Members of Salat's community were recently picked up near the Palvasan chowky by cops and were released only after a field officer of the VSSM intervened.
"Most of them are illiterate. They are also easy targets for cops looking to extort money. Cops now ask them for the GST number for things they buy and sell. If they fail to produce, they are accused of stealing, when in reality, most of them belong to villages in North Gujarat and travel to cities to hawk things during the winter months," said Tohib Sheikh, a VSSM field officer who had to intervene to get arrested Salaat community members released.
Salat says now he knows that those with a turnover of less than Rs20 lakh need not worry about GST. "But I don't think I will argue with a cop about it because that would mean he will find another way to harass me," Salat said, as a matter of fact.
DySP of Mehsana, Rajesh Gadiya, "We need to check whether those who extort money are real or fake cops. Fake police are a menace for both the department and the public. If they are genuine cops, then victims should approach top officers and register a complaint. We will definitely take action," Gadiya said.
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