Locals sing national anthem daily to wipe out Mulchera's identity as a Maoist-affected village; even buses halt at that time

MUMBAI: The residents of Mulchera village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district have taken a decision to wipe out its identity as a Maoist-affected village. For this, they start their day by singing the national anthem every morning. This new decision has been implemented here since Independence day. This village, located 900 km from Mumbai, was once a hub of Maoist activities. Mulchera has a population of around 2500 people which also include tribals in large number.

Mulchera is the third village in the country to sing the national anthem in the morning. This practice was started earlier in Nalgonda village of Telangana and Bhilwadi village in Sangli district of Maharashtra. Every day villagers, the owners of shops, small traders and police officers gather at 8.45 am and sing the national anthem. During this time the whole village would remain standstill.

Even the two state transport buses running in the village during this time come to a halt and its staff and passengers will join in the chorus. Considering this as an example, the residents in the neighboring village of Vivekanandapur have also started this practice.

The first encounter between the police and the Maoists took place in the Mulchera police station area. In 1992, Santosh Anna, a suspected Maoist commander and a child were killed in an encounter in the village. Since then the village was given the title of Maoist-affected village. Later, this village witnessed many such encounters. Recently, a woman who was a suspected Maoist, surrendered along with her partner.