The day is not far off when the government banners challenging Naxal ideologies will jostle for space in public places with red posters in Maoist strongholds in Bastar as the Chhattisgarh police is gearing up to wage psychological war in a massive scale against the left wing extremism in the region.
The proposed publicity blitzkrieg aims at freeing the local tribals in the region of red influence by triggering an ideological war against the ultras and in the process paving the way for the administration to reach the local tribals in the remotest parts of Bastar, a senior police officer disclosed this newspaper here on Tuesday.
“This will no doubt be a daunting task for police to fight a war of this kind with a well-organised outfit like CPI(Maoist) in their own den. But we are ready with our plan to wage a psychological against them. We propose to launch the campaign before the coming Assembly polls in the state,” the police officer said requesting anonymity.
Small posters and banners highlighting the government’s welfare measures for the downtrodden and tribals and how Naxal ideologies are harmful for the society would be circulated in the areas by sticking them with school bags, carry bags and cover pages of school books, which would be distributed free of cost to the locals.
Long posters and banners with catchy slogans describing barbaric face of the ultras would be erected in public places like haats (tribal markets), premises of schools and colleges and on roadside trees.
“The Naxals use such public places to hang their posters and banners to spread their ideology among the local tribals in remote areas of Bastar. Henceforth, they will not go unchallenged as far as misguiding the gullible adivasis when our posters and banners find space close to theirs,” the police officer disclosed. Sources said the Chhattisgarh police has already approached several major advertising firms in the country to prepare the materials for the purpose.
“Local police stations in remote areas would be entrusted with the task of implementing the plan,” he added.