THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Probably in a first, the state police have issued a state-wide alert in the wake of gunning down of four Maoists by Kerala Police’s elite commando wing at Attapadi on Tuesday.
The alert has been issued fearing retaliation from the red ultras who had lost seven cadres to police bullets since 2016.
A senior police officer said an alert has been issued across the state and it was for the first time that such a precaution was being taken to counter the Left Wing Extremists’ (LWE) threat. “Security has been enhanced across the state with more focus being given on intelligence collection. This is an unprecedented situation in the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, specific alert has been issued for five northern districts. A senior officer from the police North Zone said Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram and Palakkad are being closely watched since the movements of the ultras have been reported more frequently in these districts.
Out of the five districts, Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad have been declared as LWE-affected districts by the union ministry of home affairs. In the recent report of MHA, 90 districts in 11 states have been declared LWE-affected areas.
“There have been specific alerts for the five districts. However, the LWE is not limited to any particular area as their sympathisers would be present elsewhere. Hence, a state-wide general alert was issued,” a source told TNIE. Intelligence sources said the security establishments have been well alerted of the threat factor. “Red ultras usually do not attack civilian targets. We have suggested an enhanced security cover for vital government establishments, especially in the five districts,” the source added.
CPI unhappy over Maoist killings
Close on the heels of the UDF terming the Maoist killings in Palakkad a fake encounter, the CPI too has come out expressing its discontent over the same.
On Tuesday, CPI state chief Kanam Rajendran who had openly opposed the Maoist killings in Nilambur in 2016, made it clear that his party’s stance remains unchanged. But Kanam refused to delve further into the issue. CPI evidently does not want an open tussle with CPM when the LDF is moving ahead in a steady manner.