The celebrations of two-day long Nagar Mahotsav, two kilometres down from NH 98 between Chandwa and Balumath, wherein a gathering of 25,000 to 30,000 people including children watched the Mahotsav till midnight has come as big shot in the arm of the latehar district police, said sources.
Sources said the surroundings of the venue where the Mahotsav has been held has the notoriety of being the ‘red field’ of all types of the extremism like CPI Maoists, Sangarsh Jan Mukti Morcha and TSPC and here the extremists have used the back drop for their all heinous activities.
However, the September 27 to 28 midnight celebrations here have proved two things here. First, the populace feared not a fig for those who live in jungle and cave and roam around hanging arms around their shoulders. And second, the huge gathering trusted police and the police retained their fate since sources added there was no incident of any eve teasing, molestation or chain snatching.
SP latehar Anoop Birtharey said, “The frightening tag of this location has gone with the wind. A mammoth gathering between 25,000 to 30,000 held its feet till midnight and enjoyed the festival with no fear of any naxal outfit over shadowing this.” He said there came cultural troupes from Kolkata and the State artists too regaled the gathering.
He said, “This Mahotsav has further pushed the naxals to the brink as such a huge turn out in rain soaked weather will force the naxals to think that people want freedom, not fear.”
Birtharey added, “This is a paradigm shift which proves the base of the extremists is fast eroding and people are getting more bolder and courageous to negotiat even midnight.” “There was a time here when night used to descend here in this part around 6 in the evening but now there is a fresh breeze of living a life in peace and security,” he reiterated.
Sources said the locale of the Mahotsav is both scenic and dangerous as there is hillock here and Maoists’ havens are hillocks but on these two days the rural folks showed no sign of any panic on their faces and came in hordes for the Mahotsav.
Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha Speaker Dinesh Oraon declared this Mahotsav open on September 27 while the minister for food and civil supplies and parliamentary affairs Saryu Roy announced the curtains down on this Mahotsav the next day.
Asked if such a Mahotsav in place like this which has the history of naxals movement, assemblage can enliven hope of tourism here SP latehar said, “Very much. This Mahotsav is in fact a kind of window blind raising on tourism.”
