THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, July 21: The Manatu police in Palamu are conducting a new experiment. It gives away football to youths with a message: play, study, and keep away from drugs.
SP Reeshma Ramesan has given a free hand to her officer in charge of Manatu police station Nirmal Oraon to go about it.
Nirmal Oraon is heart and soul plunged into it. In just two days he gave away nearly half a dozen footballs to youths of Nagad, Metar, Sildaag etc.
It’s our community outreach: SP
Reeshma Ramesan said, “It’s our community outreach. It cements bond with the youths.”
To the sceptics giving away football to rural youths will not mean much. The sceptics may term it as any momentary event.
However, this is not the fact in Palamu. In the nineties, when naxalism was at its peak, police in the remote areas here used to provide firewood for the poor families to beat the winter. It had had its impact. The woman folks used to dissuade their youths from joining ‘Nayee Sarkar’s’ extremism.
CRPF used to give pressure cookers
One should not forget that CRPF in its civic action programmes used to give away pressure cookers and mosquito nets to the poor.
However, the CRPF had to abandon giving pressure cookers when reports of the misuse and abuse of the pressure cookers started pouring in from the interiors.
Naxals used to grab these pressure cookers of the poor, stuff them with explosives and use them as land mines against the security forces.
The CRPF continued to give away mosquito nets which once saved a fugitive Naxal from being bitten by a deadly snake in the jungles of Manatu!
Today it’s football. The Palamu police will have a makeover to its image. Giving away football has come at such a time when there are three laws enforced.
Poto Ho grounds ready in 200 panchayats
There is a ‘ground’ for giving football. There are Poto Ho grounds ready in more than 200 panchayats in Palamu where rural youths can play football, cricket or any other outdoor games.
Akhilesh Yadav of Nagad village who was given a football on Saturday by OC Manatu Nirmal Oraon told this correspondent, “We have a Poto Ho ground here. We will play football. We spend the first half of the day in our agri activities and post noon we love playing.”
