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With an aim to remove its identity as a Maoist-affected village, residents of the Mulchera area in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district begin their day by singing the national anthem together, said Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Ankit Goyal told PTI.
"Villagers in Gadchiroli district experience a sense of patriotism every day by singing the national anthem. I think its a good initiative," he said.
Every day, Mulchera village residents including shop owners, people from other commercial establishments, small traders, and police personnel gather at 8.45 am and sing the national anthem. Commuters stop their vehicles and join in the chorus.
Mulchera village is located 900 kilometers from Mumbai city and has a total population of around 2,500. The village has a mixed population of tribals and people hailing from West Bengal. It is the third village in the country and second in Maharashtra after Telangana's Nalgonda village and Bhilwadi village in Sangli district of Maharashtra to start this practice, said another police official as quoted by PTI.
It seems that the neighboring village, Vivekanandpur has taken inspiration from Mulchera and also started singing the national anthem at the same time everyday. Police officials do rounds of both the villages with two loudspeakers every day and play a patriotic song for a minute to signal that the national anthem is going to start.
The officials said that this practice has given people new energy and a sense of patriotism, with the number of disputes falling in the villages.
In Mulchera, Assistant Police Inspector (API) Ashok Bhapkar was the one who started singing the national anthem in the village every day. He said that this is the village where the first encounter between police and the Maoists in Gadchiroli took place.
"Mulchera was dubbed as a Maoist-affected village in 1992 when suspected Maoist commander Santosh Anna and a child whom he was using a human shield was killed during an encounter in the village," Ashok Bhapkar told PTI.
Another official informed that the Gadchiroli police have also introduced 'Police Dadlora Khidki' to curb the Maoist menace. This system facilitates the implementation of government schemes and provides various official certificates, high-quality seeds, and other benefits to people here, he added.
(With PTI inputs)