The Maoists have resorted to a poster campaign at Narga village along NH-33 under MGM police station and lailam village in Patamda, both the place in East Singhbhum district, and in Chandil police station area in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district. The posters were found fixed in the trees and community club hall’s wall at wee hours of Wednesday.
The local residents had spotted the posters which called upon the people to join naxalism and also urging the administration to stop the ongoing operation- green hunt. “We came to know about the act after we got a call from a local resident. On verification we found the information to be true. Soon we confiscated the posters. We are not sure if there is any other place where the campaign has been carried out,” said Seraikela-Kharsawan police official.
East Singhbhum district superintendent of police (Rural) Shailendra Kumar Sinha confirmed about the naxals’ poster campaign near Jamshedpur.
“Yes the rebels have pasted posters at villages. As per our information at a time when the police and paramilitary forces were busy in carrying out long range patrolling (lRP) Patamda and MGM area the rebels succeeded in putting the posters during night,” said Sinha. The SP (Rural) said that after discovery of the rebel posters the lRP by the paramilitary forces has been further intensified.
The official pointed out that whether the rebels had personally come to fix the posters or got them fixed by engaging villagers is a matter of top be probed.
“Such posters were common in village but it is first time that the posters have come up near Jamshedpur. We are gripped with fear since the Maoists have asked us to not cooperate with the police. These posters have left us in state of fear though the local police are cooperating with us but still we are in panic,” said a villager.
“By resorting to poster campaign, the Maoists have tried to show that their presence in East Singhbhum district and they are not confined to the places like Ghatshila and Ghurabandha areas,” said the official.
Meanwhile, the special operation against the rebels continue in Ghatshila sub-division with over 2,000 paramilitary forces and jawans of district police participating in it. Police said apart from ensuring deployment of addition police and paramilitary forces, the combing operations and patrolling has been intensified to check the possibility of entry of Maoists from neighbouring states. Officials said that the police have also intensified the efforts for strengthening security arrangements especially on the routes used by Maoists to enter the naxal infested areas.