Kerala played on threat' for funds: Kanam Rajendran

KOCHI: The ruling political leadership cannot absolve itself from the charges made by CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran that police officials in the state were exaggerating the Maoist threat for the purpose of availing funds from the Union government. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself has been pleading to declare five districts in the state under the category of “left wing extremists-affected areas." He made a forceful plea in this regard at the Inter-State Council Meeting held in July 2016 in Delhi.

Apart from more funds, he also demanded a counter-insurgency school in the state. “We should be allotted a Counter Insurgency & Anti-terrorism (CIAT) school which we have been demanding for the last three years. We would like to have one more IR Battalion (Indian Reserve Battalion), some officers on deputation from CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) and also training of our police by NSG, CAPFs and IB,” he had said.

Stating that the state was taking serious note of the leftwing extremist activities in the northern districts at the tri-junction, he said, “assistance for financial, logistic and human resource development from the Government of India would greatly help our efforts”. He further stated that “all the five LWE affected districts must be brought under Security Related Expenditure Scheme. There should be a special scheme to upgrade and modernise our intelligence set up in  the police.”

Vigil up at Malabar forest

In the wake of Maoist killings in Nilambur forests, police has put the forest regions of Malabar on high alert. In a message issued after the incident, the police has cautioned the Forest Department staff against entering the forest for the next few weeks without taking necessary security precautions. Wayanad wildlife warden P. Dhanesh Kumar told this paper that all the staff have been directed to go into the jungle only in groups.

“We are afraid of a backlash and precautions have been taken as per the advice from police,” he added. “The staff in the 12 interior forest stations of the two forest divisions and the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary have also been alerted,” he added. Last year, Thunder Bolt commandos and Maoists exchanged fire in the jungles in Vellamunda near Mananthavadi in Wayanad district. Wayanad jungles are part of the Kabani Dalam constituted by the Maoists and activities of the cadres were reported across the tribal villages on the fringes of forest.