An interstate border coordination meeting was held in Daltonganj on Nov 4 under the chairmanship of the commissioner of Palamu Manoj K Jha. The meeting, which lasted for three hours had civil and police officials of the host district Palamu along with civil and police officials of the districts across the border namely Balrampur (Chhatisgarh) Rohtas and Aurangabad ( Bihar) and Sonebhadra ( UP).
Sources said the key note of this border coordination meeting was ‘give a big helping hand in the conduct of peaceful polls in Jharkhand.’ Understandably there was no iota of doubt among the officials attending this meeting. However, a police officer who had had his stint in Palamu said it is almost a ritual to hold such meetings every general election but the fact remains that districts where election is are to go about it all itself as there comes just tokenism from across the border.
There are nine standard protocols of the interstate coordination meeting which are exchange of notes of details of SDPOs and OCs of nearest police stations located on border, list of naxals, criminals and antisocial elements taking shelter in such bordering district, list of absconders and people against whom warrants are issued, list of illegal arms, narcotics and bootleggers, list of cattle smugglers, list of people inciting communal passion, list of sensitivity of booths with records of poll violence, list of suporters of naxals and finally setting up of brder check posts.
Sources said an SDPO level border meeting was held this Lok Sabha election in Palamu but right at one police station barely 100 meters away from Bihar Maoists came down to Harihurganj market area and there they blasted the BJP poll campaign office running on rent. Sources said much the security forces set up check posts there are too many cross country routes which make entry and exit of naxals and criminals much easier.
Sources said huge and long hillocks falling in 3 districts here Latehar ( Jaigeer pahar) Palamu ( Kala pahar) and Gahwa ( Burha pahar) remain un penetrated like other penetration of security forces on the surface and this gives naxals a chance to pop up their heads.