Gone are the days when Maruti Gypsy used to carry the policemen for patrolling purposes as Toyota Innova has emerged as their latest choice for urban patrolling in the four major cities - Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Dhanabad.
Additional Director General (Training and Modernization) VH Deshmukh, while talking to mediapersons on Wednesday said that the State police were making all efforts to make the resources of modernisation reach out to the lowest level in the police force.
"We have already given five Toyota Innova vehicles for urban patrolling in Ranchi while Jamshedpur and Bokaro have also been made available four and two vehicles respectively for the purpose," said Deshmukh. The State police were being fully loaded with the modern arms and weapons; all the 303 rifles have been replaced with Indian Small Systems (INSAS) Assault Rifles and Self loading Rifles (SlR), added the ADG.
Deshmukh also said that the police in the Naxal-hit areas will also be equipped with 15 Tata Safari SUVs for patrolling purposes.
According to IG (Provisions) and Jharkhand Police Spokesperson Anurag Gupta, besides being efficient and powerful with a capability of chasing a fast moving vehicle even in difficult terrain, these fast moving vehicles will also help in improving the image of the police force among the people.
Deshmukh added that the State police are making all efforts to modernise the police force by providing the latest weapons to it as well as imparting training to the police personnel for which a training calendar has also devised. "The training calendar will enable the police force to get its personnel trained in a proper and regularised way," Deshmukh said.
In addition to that, 300 more motorbikes will be purchased to make it easy for the security forces to carry on quick movement during anti-Naxal operations in the worst-hit lWE areas, he said, adding the vacancies in the police department will also be filled soon for which the process has been started.
Meanwhile, hardcore Maoist Vimal Guria, allegedly involved in Chaibasa jailbreak in December last year, became the first rebel to surrender after the introduction of the new surrender policy.
According to the new surrender policy, Guria comes under the category B, who was paid a sum of Rs 50,000 at the time of surrender on Wednesday and will be getting 2 lakh in two different equal installments in the next two years.
Guria, while surrendering before the DGP DK Pandey, admitted that a rift has been created among the Naxal cadres, due to which a feeling of tribal and non-tribal has been created among them. Several Naxal commanders, due to the same reason are making their minds to surrendering before the police and join the mainstream in order to lead a normal life, said Guria.
Guria also admitted that he joined the rebels after being misguided by one of his friends, but after looking at discrimination which was rampant among male and female, he decided to leave the organisation and contacted the police officials. He also asserted that there is an internal conflict between Mundas and Santhalis resulting into emergence of several groups in the organisation.
Guria, hailing from Sonpokhari village under Manoharpur police station of West Singhbhum, was involved in more than 16 naxal related cases registered in different police stations of West Singhbhum and other adjoining areas. He was an active member of West Chotanagpur Zonal Committee Secretary Anmol Da and had taken arms training from hardcore Maoist Johnson who was also said to be expert in making cane bombs.