LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Daltonganj, July 22: Palamu IG R K Lakra and Latehar SP Anjani Anjan rushed on Friday to village Douna under the Netarhat police station where Maoists beat Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) trekker Dev Kumar Prajapati, 45, to death a couple of days back suspecting him to be a police informer.
The 300 and odd population of Douna village, however, wished the police ought not to have come to them as it would further enrage the Maoists to wreak havoc as they did when they beat Prajapati to death.
The police wanted to break this ice of the villagers. It was tough and difficult both, Latehar SP Anjani Anjan said.
Anjani Anjan told this correspondent today, “we told the villagers not to distrust us. We have come to tell them that they be united so that the Maoists can’t single out one or two or three and give them the raw deal. A consolidated village will come as a deterrent to the Maoists.”
He further said, “Maoists had thrashed 3 men. Two survived their assaults, but Prajapati fell to their atrocities. The Maoists can’t afford to punish the whole of the village. So be together.”
Anjani Anjan said, “we told them Prajapati never worked for us. He was no mole of us nevertheless the Maoists killed him. It is the dastardly act of the Maoists.”
He prevailed upon the villagers not to take pains to share with police any information when their lives get into peril.
The SP told the villagers not to bother for sharing any information to us at the risk of their own lives. “There is no point in passing on the information. Police wish their lives to be safe and secured,” he added.
Notably, the Maoists killing the trekker has widened the chasm between the villagers and the police and here the Maoists have the upper hand as their return to the old barbaric act seen most in the nineties and early 20s has sent out a fearful signal to a large number of villagers across Latehar.
However, the Latehar police is also doing a PR (public relation) to assuage the pains and sufferings of the villagers and the Friday visit was a step forward to it.
Photo
IG of police Palamu range R K Lakra (hand in pant) and SP Latehar Anjani Anjan at village Douna under the Netarhat police station in Latehar district on Friday.
