NEW DELHI -- The Telegraph reported today that Kalyani Kullu, a tribal matriarch, and her three sons have given land to build a thana in Simdega, a district in Jharkhand which is hit by Maoists and the People's Liberation Front of India.
The newspaper reported that it is the "first case of voluntary land donation to the state in recent memory."
Kullu and her three sons, who hail from Kochedega village, were honored in a function attended by over 2,000 people, where people played traditional instruments and sang, " Aapan ghar mein thana ailo re (a police station has come home), The Telegraph reported.
Villagers approached the police with Kullu's offer, six weeks ago.
"They told us the family was ready to provide surplus land adjoining our government plot," Singh told The Telegraph.
Rajeev Ranjan Singh, a senior police official, said that the market value of the cost is Rs.10 lakh, and it is of "tactical importance."
"We thought it was too good to be true. But, it was actually true. They are not rich landowners, they are a modest farming family but with a big heart," he told The Telegraph.
"But now, thanks to this living example of a family reposing its faith in the police, the thana and the gesture will have a far-reaching impact in fighting Naxalism," he said.
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