A hint of increased Maoist activity

Armed irregulars from Jharkhand and Bihar might have sought refuge in Kerala

The gun battle that reportedly caused the death of at least three armed “Maoists” in the Agali forests early Monday came against the backdrop of reports of increased Left-wing extremist activity in Wayanad and Palakkad districts.

Officials privy to ongoing anti-extremist operations spanning several States said their counterparts in Jharkhand and Bihar had flagged the possibility of armed irregulars seeking refuge in Kerala when challenged by the police in those localities.

The police had predicted that the various “dalams” of the Western Ghats Zonal Committee of Maoists in Wayanad and Palakkad districts could play host to the fugitives from the law in the north.

Subsequently, the police intensified their operations to deny operational freedom to Maoists in the expansive forest area labelled by law enforcers as the northern tri-junction of the contiguous States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

The anti-Maoist operation spearheaded by Thunderbolts in Manjankandi forests under the Puthoor forest station had the markings of a State police intelligence guided interdiction.

The firefight reportedly occurred in a forested locality near the Agali-Tamil Nadu road that connected Palakkad with Udhagamandalam.

The police possibly had specific intelligence about the arrival of the Maoists by road and their subsequent movement into the forest where the Thunderbolts waited in ambush.

Of late, the police had worked in tandem with government agencies to win the support of Attappady tribespeople for the State’s welfare programmes.

The push might have yielded the police better intelligence on Maoist activity near tribal settlements.

Info on arms

The police had also developed information on the inventory of arms ranging from workshop-grade mines to lethal automatic weapons used by Maoists.

The police had previously engaged Maoists at Vythiri in Wayanad in March this year, killing one C.P. Jaleel, 29, as they retreated from a forest resort into the jungle.

In 2016, Thunderbolt commandos shot dead Maoist leaders Ajitha and Kuppu Devaraj in the Karulal forests in Nilambur in Malappuram district.

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