Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday stuck to his assessment that the recent violent incidents in Wayanad and Palakkad were nothing but the handiwork of miscreants posing as Maoists.
Even though the perpetrators of the violent acts had links with Maoist groups, there was nothing revolutionary in the actions. “It is sheer cowardice to indulge in violence in the dead of the night. There is nothing revolutionary about it…. There is no difference in the violence perpetrated by an ordinary anti-social and those who were involved in the recent actions. The media should not glorify such incidents. These are just attempts to create a scare. We will mercilessly put down such people,” the Minister said while addressing a press conference here.
He said the arrested persons had ties with Maoist groups, which were present in the State. However, they did not pose any threats in the State. Besides, these groups do not have the backing of the people. “Kerala is far ahead in the matter of tribal development when compared to the plight of tribespeople in other States. Political parties and successive governments have consistently addressed the problems of the tribal population. The government was moving in the right direction,” he said.
In reply to a question, Mr. Chennithala said the police were fully alert. The government was serious about tackling Maoist threats, which were currently being addressed by special forces. It was natural to feel that nothing much was happening since it was important for the police to maintain confidentiality. There were constraints in disclosing the strategies, but the police have already indentified the roots and stringent action would be taken to suppress them.
Mr. Chennithala said he proposed to spend December 31 and January 1 in the areas affected by violence in Wayanad. Last year, he had spent time with the tribal people at Atttappady in Palakkad district.
