“No naxal presence in TN, yet vigil stepped up on border”

There is no known presence of naxalites in Tamil Nadu, yet the Special Task Force (STF) has enhanced vigil on the inter-border where they are prone to operate, said K. Vijay Kumar, Senior Security Advisor, Ministry of Home Affairs, on Thursday.

Talking to mediapersons, Mr. Vijay Kumar said he had visited the border areas and impressed upon the Chief Ministers and the Director Generals of Police of Kerala and Karnataka the need for coordinated action to step up vigilance in the forest areas abutting Malapuram and Wayanad districts. Discussions were held for joint intelligence, planning and operations. Likewise, vigilance has been stepped up in the Vellore, Tirupathur, Theni, Kodaikanal hills, Gudalur and Anaimalai forests to prevent presence of Maoists.

The focus was now on development of the tribals living in the border areas through special schemes of the respective State governments to ensure that they were not mislead. Citing the Home Ministry’s policy, Mr. Vijay Kumar extended an olive branch to unarmed naxalites to join the democratic mainstream. Extremists who lay down arms and surrender will be rehabilitated within the framework of the Constitution.

Countrywide, the naxalites were realising their limitations in extending areas of influence and they were now not able to recruit youths as before. Past injustices that naxals kept harping on had lost relevance owing to an increased awareness level of the tribals.

The concerns that naxal leaders had expressed about shrinking influence at their last known congress indicated that the emphasis on economic and educational development of tribals had paid dividends, Mr. Vijay Kumar said. Difficulties that the naxal groups in the northern and southern States face in making interactions have been perpetuated by the fissures and conflicts of interest.

Mr. Vijay Kumar visited Sathyamangalam on Thursday to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Operation Cocoon, in which forest brigand Veerappan was killed after several years of pursuit.

Earlier in the day, the former STF chief called on the villagers of Geddaisal near Hasanur in Sathyamangalam forests where the personnel had carried out development works over the last 10 years.

The villagers, he said, bore the brunt of the Veerappan gang's ire due to suspicion that they were informants. A number of villagers were killed by Veerappan's men. The temple in the village that had to be closed in 1994 was opened a decade later, a day after Veerappan was killed in the operation.