Kannur to be ‘safe zone’ ahead of MCP

Kozhikode: All entry points to Kannur Town would be declared safe zones from Monday night ahead of the mass contact programme of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy scheduled for Tuesday.

Culture Minister K.C. Joseph and district police head Rahul R. Nair said security would be tight in view of the Opposition Left Democratic Front going ahead with its plan to wave black flags at the Chief Minister and intelligence inputs warning of the possibility of Maoists infiltrating the venue.

The Government was forced to adopt strict security measures in view of the open threat from the LDF led by the CPM, said the minister. “There was a threat to the life of the Chief Minister on October 27 when he had gone to Kannur on the concluding day of the police athletic meet”, said the Minister.

The CPM leadership had openly stated that the party would show its real strength if Oommen Chandy dared to hold the mass contact programme in Kannur, he said. The mass contact programme originally scheduled for November was postponed following the bid on the Chief Minister’s life in October, said Joseph. In addition to the LDF agitation, the Maoists’ threat also called for strict security measures, he added.

The programme will commence at 8 am at the Jawahar Stadium on Tuesday. Out of the 5,989 applications received, 298 applicants have been selected for a direct audience with the Chief Minister. He would also receive fresh applications, the minister added.

Kannur police superintendent Rahul Nair said the police had decided to erect five blocking points on roads leading to the venue. Apart from this the police would also have a ring of ‘safe zones’ in the city to ensure the safety of the Chief Minister, he added. The minister and the police head said the people would have to bear with the inconvenience on that day due to the traffic restrictions. 

On the threat from Maoists, Nair said the presence of left wing extremists had been reported from many parts of the district. He, however, declined to confirm whether Thunderbolt, a special commando unit of the state to fight the Maoists would be deployed at the venue.

The police would allow only those with either voter identity cards or ration cards into the venue. Those attending the prorgamme have been asked to carry photo copies of pertinent documents along with the originals.