In Bihar: Cops Start School In Tribal Village

This is the story of Chanka village under Srinagar block of Purnea dist of Bihar. This village has about 4,000 tribals, and is identified as a hub of manufacture, sale and consumption of country liquor.

Once when Purnea SP Nishant Tiwari reached Chanka the locals were apprehensive. However in this visit, the police did not visit Chanka to conduct raids or arrest liquor traders. They had gone with a proposal to open a school for out-of-school-children in the evenings. Initially the local people did not believe the police, but eventually saw merit in the idea.

One villager, Upendra Hansda, who has studied till Class 12, offered his verandah and the open space in front of it. Thus began “Meri Pathsala” (My School), an initiative of Purnea police to reach out to the community and tackle prohibition.

The programme incurs minimum cost, he says. Once the police start such schools, villagers come forward to work as teachers. The local inspector or sub-inspector teaches twice a week in the school, which runs between 6 pm and 7.30 pm daily.

We need more such stories in newspapers to tell us about what good is being done in the community by the community. Read this full report by Santosh Singh in The Indian Express...