Security forces launch community policing in Maoist-hit areas of Jharkhand

Bundu, Feb 5 (ANI): Police personnel in Maoist-afflicted area of Bundu in Jharkhand organised a community-policing programme on Sunday to tackle the growing menace of the ultras.

The strategy was adopted to bridge the gap between the police force and the public. The residents were provided with several incentives, as part of the programme.

"We organise such programmes so that the police's people-friendly image comes out in the open. We want to improve our relations with the public, so that the relationship between the two, which is based on trust, could reap the long-term benefits," said Naushad Alam, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bundu.

Alam also said such programmes will help prevent the recruitment of villagers by Maoists.

The Maoist insurgency has gripped nearly a third of the country in its violent tentacles, spreading into the interiors of 20 of India's 28 states.

Maoists, in recent years, have significantly increased their presence in tribal and rural regions of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa. (ANI)