Thirteen police stations located in seven districts in Jharkhand have been identified and declared as ‘Focused Thana’. Police officials of these 13 thanas and ASPs (Ops) of the districts took part in the two day workshop on this at STF (JJ) headquarter in Ranchi. The workshop which started on Friday concluded on Saturday.
DIG STF Saket Kumar Singh said 13 thanas of 7 districts are now to act and function as ‘Focused Thanas’ with more human resources, better infrastructural facilities and will be given more teeth in terms of weaponry, ammunition, technical and human intelligence and expertise to handle, tackle and contain extremism.
The 2 day workshop on Focused Thanas was inaugurated by ADG ( Ops) RK Mallick while Ashish Batra IG ( Ops) remained all through this workshop. Among the 7 districts Palamu and Garhwa do not figure but Latehar district is there on the list of Focused Thana. Some of the 7 districts are Chatra, Simdega, Gumla, Khunti etc.
The DIG said, “The launching of 13 Focused Thanas in 7 districts is a take-off. There will be more thanas coming under its ambit. Thanas located either on cross junction or tri junction will be inducted for this in second phase.”
He said Garhwa district’s Badgad thana qualifies to be under this Focused Thana. Two districts Simdega and Latehar have one each thana of it which has been declared Focused Thana. It is Bano thana in Simdega district while it is Garu in Latehar district added the DIG STF.
SP Latehar Parshant Anand said, “Garu thana in Latehar district is in the south of this district which is plagued with extremism and now it is becoming a Focused Thana it will be far effective to curb and crush extremism here in the South of this district.”
To a query that Maoists have stakes in drug trafficking like poppy the DIG said, “Officials of Narcotics Control Bureau were invited to this workshop where these officials brushed up our officials on matters of drug trafficking and its effective control.”
Reminded that DGP DK Pandey has said that property and asset of Maoists who have amassed huge cash and immoveable assets would be confiscated which is a long drawn legal course to which DIG STF said, “This issue of seizure of property and asset of Maoists all raised by foul means of levy etc was discussed and to further sharpen the acumen of our officials on this huge economic offences officials of ED ( enforcement directorate) were called in who interacted with the police officials and broadened their grip.”
Focused Thanas may mean excess power and authority and as such there lurks the danger of violation of Human Rights to which Saket k Singh said, “Focussed Thanas have been asked to maintain a high profile of Human Rights and under no circumstances there can be any devolution or dilution of Human Rights.”