ven as a search operation to trace the Maoist combatants involved in the Attappady firing incident is on, Intelligence agencies have sent out a warning that a 40-member Maoist group is active in the tri-junction corridor between Kannur and Palakkad.
Official sources said the combatants are deployed in three units (Dalams) namely Kabani Dalam, Nadugani Dalam and Bhavani Dalam — each comprising a minimum of 10 persons. The squads also possess modern weapons, brought from their armed bases such as Dantewada or Bastar.
“The objective of their operation here is presumed to be for creating a cooling-off base for Maoist top leadership in case of temporary setbacks in their bastions in Central and North India,’’ said a top Intelligence official. Hence, their stated objective of liberating the tribespeople in Western Ghats also forms part of the Maoist party’s national design.
“Wresting the territorial control of the strategically important area, which has equal links to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karanataka is important for moving the leaders and resources, if necessary,’’ the official added.
Earlier, the Kerala Police had received reports about Maoists frequenting the area from the security agencies in the neighbouring States and the fact that tribal residents in several border villages were able to clearly identify some these Maoists have added credence to the reports.
“In addition to a couple of Keralites, majority of these operatives are from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka while there are also a few from the North Indian States,’’ official sources said.
Meanwhile, the police have prepared an inventory of the arms possessed by these squads, which include Kalshnikovs, self-loading rifles, shotguns, workshop-grade anti-personnel weapons and wayside bombs, among others. Majority of these ammunitions are presumably procured at least about a decade ago when the Nepal route was alive.
The firing in Attappady was third such incident to be reported from the Kerala part of the tri-junction corridor over the past one year. Last year, Maoists attacked a Kerala Forest Department range office in Attappady and an outpost in Wayanad, following which security forces of the three States intensified combing operations in their respective regions.
The objective is to create a base for Maoist top leadership in case of temporary setbacks
