Communal harmony committees to be formed in grama panchayats

District Collector M.S. Madhavikutty on Thursday (November 5) issued an order to form communal harmony committees across all grama panchayats in the district as part of efforts to foster communal harmony and maintain peace at the grassroots level.

The decision follows recommendations from a recent district-level interfaith harmony meeting. Under the new directive, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the respective police station will serve as the committee chairman, while the grama panchayat secretary will act as the convener.

The village officer will record the minutes of the meetings. For panchayats spanning multiple police station jurisdictions, the SHOs concerned will be inducted into the panel.

The committees will be expanded to include local political, religious and community leaders, elected representatives, and officials from key government departments.

According to senior Revenue officials, the panels will convene in the first week of every month to monitor the local situation. In the event of an emergency, the convener will summon special meetings on the chairman’s instructions.

Detailed minutes of all discussions and decisions will be maintained and reported to the higher authorities. The primary mandate of these committees is to proactively identify potential law-and-order issues or communal friction at the local level, implement timely pre-emptive measures, and preserve peace in the region.