KOCHI: The Kerala Police is all set to toe the line of its Odisha counterpart by launching a Special Operational Group (SOG) to take on rising Maoist activities here. The SOG will exclusively function to neutralise Leftwing extremism in the state. With a strength of 200 police personnel, SOG will function as a separate entity under the direct control of the state police chief and will be given a free hand to undertake operational activities to counter Maoist operations.
“The police have submitted a detailed proposal for the SOG to the state government and a formal approval is expected soon. Many states facing Leftwing extremism have SOGs and considering the present situation in Kerala, we need it too,” State Police Chief Lokanth Behera told Express.
He said the unit will work independently and have its own operational intelligence wing. Senior police officers said the SOG will function like the Greyhounds of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. “In Kerala, the SOG will primarily focus its operation in Wayanad, Kannur, Palakkad and Malappuram,” the officers said.
Neutralise and counter
As per the police’s proposal, the SOG will function to neutralise insurgents, extremists and also armed groups indulging in unlawful activities. It will take up appropriate counter-operations and deal with all kinds of crisis, contingencies and unanticipated situations arising out of terrorism, extremism, hijacking, hostage, acts of sabotage and subversion.
In Odisha, the SOG has been entrusted with collecting, analysing and documenting sensational acts of terrorism and extremism; and devising or updating suitable counter measures. It also develops training curriculum and trains its own personnel and those of other units of the state police in anti-terrorist, anti-extremist and non-conventional jungle warfare.
Kerala Police have been dealing with Maoists in the state with an iron fist after the LDF Government assumed power. Though there have been allegations of the police staging fake encounters to finish off three Maoists, including a woman, in the state since June 2016, police officers opine Maoists have escalated their operations and are using firearms against police patrolling teams.