Rohtas superintendent of police Manu Maharaj gives a torch and a lathi (bamboo stick) to a new member of the village-protection team at Bhimtaru village in Akaurigola block on Sunday. Members of gram raksha dal (village-protection team) are supposed to provide security to residents of Naxalite-affected villages. Around 1,000 men and women from five Naxalite-hit panchayats were inducted into the village-protection teams on Sunday. Maharaj said: “Residents of Baligaon, Tetarao, Muriar, Bisaini and Habupur joined as members of gram raksha dal. The village heads of the panchayats had earlier sent proposals to the district police headquarters seeking formation of such teams.” The senior police officer also said the security forces would not be able to successfully counter the influence of the rebels without help from the people. “We cannot progress without the help of the masses,” he said. Tetrarao panchayat head (mukhiya) Hare Ram Singh appealed to the new gram raksha dal members to perform their duties properly. “The people of the Maoist-hit areas of the district feel safer now after the intensive police drive against the rebels,” he added. Additional superintendent of police (operations) BK Mandal and sub-divisional police officer of Bikramganj KK Singh were also present on the occasion. Text by Ramashankar, picture by Sanjay Choudhary