MHA puts security check on tribal cultural fests

Tribal youth aspiring to display their cultural faculty at the proposed tibal youth cultural exchange festivals at Bangalore and Kolkata, would require the security clearance from the deputy commissioners (DC) and superintendents of police (SP) of their concerned districts.

The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan, a wing of the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports, has organised the five-day cultural exchange programme at Bangalore and the week-long fest at Kolkata, starting February 28 and March 6 respectively.

This is for the first time that youth of left-wing extremism-affected states including Jharkhand are deemed to furnish the security certificates before asking for their participation in the mega cultural events. Earlier, the State cultural directorate used to rely on the coordinator to select the talents for the national level events like National Youth Festivals or inter-state cultural exchange programmes.

Citing the direction from the Union ministry of home affairs to all nine LWE-hit States, the Jharkhand home department has asked all the DCs and SPs to validate the identity of youth, whosoever wish to represent Jharkhand at the proposed exchange programmes.

State director general of police (DGP) GS Rath, whose office also received the directive from the MHA, however, said it was a mandatory security drill to be adhered especially while sending a delegation of youths to any national-level event.

A senior officer of the State home department, pleading anonymity, said the move apparently intended to do away with apprehension of trouble the left-wing extremists might seek to create for hogging the limelight. “The caution is more so as the Centre along with other States are planning to launch intensified assault against the Maoists, who are desperate looking for a chance to get even with for the killing of Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji,” he said.