Gumla: Gumla SP Hrudeep P Janardhanan and other top police officers have started visiting remote rebel-hit areas of the district and holding ‘jan choupals’ as part of a new public outreach programme.
Janardhanan visited over half a dozen villages, including Nawadih, Sundari and Ghora, on Saturday and distributed school bags, blankets and dhoti-saris among the residents. Janardhanan said, “We also interacted with the villagers in a bid to sort out their problems. We also try to develop a bond with the local youths. If we find dropouts, then we try to counsel their parents and motivate them to pursue studies.”
He further said, “We don’t talk about the Maoist issue with the villagers.”
The officer-in-charge of every police station in the district has been asked to visit three to four villages every week and interact with the villagers as part of the programme.
“The objective is to assess the areas and learn about the problems people face so that we can foresee any law and order problem,” he said, adding that they are also preparing volunteer teams comprising local youths.
“Witchcraft is a serious issue in the rural areas. Police have established contact with educated village youths who pass on information about such matter to us,” he said. He added that district police are also trying to create awareness among the populace about ill-effects of drinking.