Kerala cops ill-equipped to counter terror outfits: Intelligence

Intelligence agencies have warned the Kerala Government that the State police is ill-equipped to counter terror attacks or violent Maoist campaigns.

Sources in the State Home Department said that the report of the State police that Malla Raja Reddy, Maoist leader from Andhra Pradesh who was recently arrested from Angamaly, had reached the State for treatment of cancer and that he had visited the State for the same earlier also, could have been incomplete.

The State police had also reported that the Maoist leader had not entered into any political activity in the State. But Central Intelligence agencies had confirmed that the Maoist leader, on interrogation, had clearly told them that he had done political work in the State and that several trained persons were following the Maoist ideology in the State.

Sleuths have reported that the intelligence gathering mechanism of the State police is almost rotten and of no use during even the follow-up actions. Documentations are also not in the proper manner, they claim.

Another major disadvantage of the Kerala Police is the outdated communication systems they use while groups like Maoists, LTTE and Islamic fundamentalists possess sophisticated communication equipments.

The reports given by the State police regarding the stay of Malla Raja Reddy do not offer any logical conclusion and Central agencies have also clearly mentioned to the State Home Department on the failure of the police here in properly carrying out documentation on sensitive cases like this.

The State police in its raid on Wednesday at the place where Malla Raja Reddy had stayed found several Maoist pamphlets translated into Malayalam and this was a clear pointer to the fact that he had held training programmes in the State.

Experts point out that the State police do not have any idea as to how and when a matter is to be investigated properly. They are also clueless while on efforts to find persons who had received advanced training. Central Intelligence agencies have reported to senior Home Officials that the State police have to rise to the occasion to have a clear trail of those who have received training.

Answers are also to be found to questions as to the level of training these persons could have received. The arrest of a Maoist leader from West Bengal had revealed that his wife Teresa was from Nedupuzha near Thrissur. Unfortunately, the State police have failed to get any information on the whereabouts of Teresa.

The State police are also groping in the dark about the movements of certain international terror outfits on the Malabar coast despite the warnings the Navy has been giving about the presence of LTTE cadre.

There are reports that the release of the 28 accused in the Marad massacre case could create some law and order disturbances in the Malabar area as there are suspicions about an international plot behind the killing of eight Hindu fishermen at Marad beach allegedly by Islamic outfits.

There were reports that Islamic outfits have received money and moral support from certain Keralites settled in the Gulf countries. This is also a major cause of worry for the Government.

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