The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is gearing up to set up a camp at the Naxal-infested Chamta village of Patamda block of East Singhbhum, bordering Purulia district of Bengal. Following the demand of Dalma Raksha Vahini (DRV), an anti-Naxal outfit operating in Patamda block, CRPF decided to set up camp at Chamta once again.Sources informed that senior functionaries of DRV recently requested Chief Minister Raghubar Das seeking protection from the CPI-Maoist rebels who are still active in the region.Inspector general, CRPF, Jharkhand, RK Mishra said that they have been instructed by the State Government to re-establish a camp at Chamta to instill confidence among local villagers and provide them security.
“We have also gathered information about the naxal activities in Chamta bordering West Bengal. We have come to know rebels in small squads are still active in the Tinkonia Pahad close to the Chamta village,” said Mishra. He claimed that the CRPF camp will resume there within a week time.The IG, CRPF, said that the administration had withdrawn the camp as the Maoists activities had completely stopped there.The Chamta village which is just four kilometres away from the Purulia district of Bengal and is considered to be a former rebel hotspot. An uprising by the local people in 2009 coupled with an intense policing by the CRPF's continuous their drive against the rebels.Source pointed out that the naxals continue to infiltrate in splinter groups in villages under Bodam and Patamda block for convincing the local residents to revive the naxal movement in these areas.
“The villagers are living under threat. Rebels do visit our village in small groups for enticing the villagers to extend their support to the rebel outfit. As Bengal is just four kilometres away from here, the rebels make their presence felt in Chamta and return back to Purulia district,” said one of the volunteers of DRV. He informed that they had lodged strong protest and even had staged road blockade requesting the administration to allow the camp to function here as the rebels might start coming here. But the administration did not listen to our plea and after a gap of three years the rebels from Bengal started coming to the village once again.
“We have intelligence input that the rebels from the bordering area of Bengal, in sizeable number, are entering into Jharkhand and trying to hold meeting in the villages like Koira, Chamta and Jhunjhka. They are also picking up issues like dumping earth-movers for digging work and instead engaging manpower for the same,” said the officer.He said as there are a large number of villagers, who have shifted their bases from the naxals to the police, it is the duty of police administration to instill a sense of confidence among such villagers.Sources informed that apart from ensuring deployment of additional police and paramilitary forces, the operations and patrolling had been intensified to check the possibility of the entry of Maoists from neighbouring States.