Southern States
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Kerala
Police suspect conspiracy to create communal trouble
By G. Anand
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, DEC. 11. The State police was in possession of ample evidence and intelligence input to suggest that the attempt to foment communal trouble in the State during the Sabarimala season was part of a well-planned conspiracy hatched by a group of hardcore elements of a religious fundamentalist organisation.
Highly-placed police sources told The Hindu that as many as 100 members of a militant group, referred to as the "Majilis", had met in Aluva in September.
According to the sources, the meeting had deliberated in detail on how to take on the cadres of opposing fundamentalist outfits in the State among other things.
The police analysis is that the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and the well-publicised decision of certain fundamentalist outfits to observe Babri Masjid demolition day as "victory day" on December 6 had degraded the communal situation in the State.
The active campaign of certain fundamentalist outfits to drum up support for the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya (possibly with an eye on the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh) and the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) further vitiated the communal situation in the State.
Ever since the war in Afghanistan broke out, there were hundreds of protest demonstrations on a daily basis across the State. Posters hailing and condemning Osama Bin Laden were stuck by opposing factions across the State.
In communally sensitive areas, the poster wars escalated into skirmishes between cadres of religious fundamentalist organisations.
In Kasaragod, Malappuram, Thrissur, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram, the police had registered several cases in connection with the poster war.
"Some religious outfits took the opportunity to muster more youth into their cadres by whipping up communal passions by creating a general feeling of insecurity among impressionable youth. This was the start of the trouble and why the Aluva conference of the Majilis was called," an official said.
Police officials said that the pattern of violence in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and certain areas of rural Thiruvananthapuram points to a clear cut conspiracy. Groups of armed youth were mobilised to carry out specific acts of violence on the basis of clear instructions.
An official said the arrest of two armed youth at Anchal in Kollam is an illustrative example of the depth of the conspiracy to foment communal trouble in the State.
"The youth were on their way to attack devotees who were coming out of a place of worship of the religion to which they themselves belonged. The plan was to attack devotees and foist the charge on an opposing fundamentalist group," an official said.
Meanwhile, police are keeping a close tab on the activities of hardcore militant elements in certain organisations. "The fact is that the public face of these organisations do not reflect the activities of the cadre. In some organisations, even the leadership is kept in the dark about the activities of the hardcore muscle elements," an official said.
Apprehending retaliatory attacks by cadres of religious fundamentalist organisations, the State police have decided to continue with the red alert against communal violence.
Official sources said that though the police had succeeded in preventing a widespread communal conflagration in the wake of violent incidents in Pathanamthitta town on December 7 night, the force was bracing for isolated incidents of violence and likely revenge attacks by opposing fundamentalist outfits.
Police said that the retaliatory attacks by fundamentalist outfits is more likely to be against each others cadre rather than religious places of worship.
Officials said there would be no let-up in preventive arrests and raids were underway in several areas of the State to arrest those responsible for the recent violence.
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