Kohala: A police station to be turned into a museum

Away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, the 164-year-old fort-like building of Thana Bukot in the middle of the Kohala Valley, on the west bank of the Jhelum River and thirty kilometers north of Murree, is still standing today thanks to its excellent location and fine architecture. is, which is gradually decaying due to lack of attention.

Consisting of offices and accommodation for police officers, this fort-like English-style police station consisted of a total of 20 rooms and was constructed using local stone, lime and cedar wood.

The police station was successfully functioning in this building for a century and a half and then when the new police station building was constructed in 2010, this historic building became unusable and obsolete and due to constant neglect, it is now slowly dilapidated. .

The officer of the police station, Sub-Inspector Mohammad Imtiaz, told Independent Urdu that as soon as you enter the building from the main entrance, there are two reference rooms, which are connected with the SHO of the police station at that time, besides the inspector and investigating officers. There are rooms and living room and mess for about ten employees.

According to the documentary evidence found about the land of Thana Bukot, this place was owned by the local Sardar Hasan Khan Bukot of Dhal community, who gave it to the British authorities, on which the fort-like building was constructed in 1958 and later police. Under Act 1861, it was handed over to the police department.

The Kohala Valley has been known as an important corridor for Kashmir for centuries. When the Dogra government transferred Hazara district to the East India Company in exchange for the nearby areas of Jammu, Kohala became the border region between the British and the Dogra Raj.

On the eastern side of the river Jhelum was the Dogra Raj, while on the western side this area belonged to the British, which at that time became a part of Punjab.

Sub-inspector Imtiaz says that in this background, Kohala got a special place thanks to which the British built this fort-like building across the river, which later became a police station, and built their various offices and rest houses, while the river On the other hand, the Maharaja of the Dogra regime built his own police station and Barsala rest house.

British officers of that time used to stay with their families in these rest houses. While famous political personalities of that time also used to come and stay. If we see, Allama Muhammad Iqbal stayed here in 1926.

Also, in 1044 Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his sister Fatima Jinnah passed through here on their way back from Srinagar, Kashmir. Similarly, Jawaharlal Nehru came here in 1046 and then went across to Kashmir.’

The ancient registers in this police station are a valuable asset of police history. The police station is also famous for having hundreds of years old First Information Reports (FIRs) in their original condition.

A register of 1912 is still intact in the police station, in which the British administration and police officers of that time wrote their impressions of their visits. Similarly, there is also a register of property in this police station, in which the doors, chairs, boxes and weapons kept inside the police station are recorded.

According to Sub-Inspector Imtiaz, ‘This area remained under the Punjab Government until 1901, after which it was included in the newly formed North-West Frontier Province. The police station’s 19th century records may also have gone to the Punjab Archives, while the complete records from the early 20th century to the present day are in its treasury.

‘I think it is probably one of the few historical police stations from the British era that has so many records that are still so well preserved.’

Deputy Inspector General of Police Hazara Range, Mir Wais Niaz told Independent Urdu that as soon as he came to know about the historic police station during his deployment, he along with the officers visited its ancient building.

Mir Wais Niaz said that this ancient building of the police station is a very important chapter of history and its restoration is very important to preserve the information of future generations.

He said that with the support of the Archeology Department, they are trying to establish a police museum in this building, which will not only give researchers and students an opportunity to benefit from the history of the police, but also improve the relationship between the police and the public. .