Maoists exchange fire with Kerala commandos; vigil up along TN borders
Local police sources said the Maoists opened fire at the commandos who were on combing operation in the forest, prompting the latter to return fire.
Representative image
KANNUR: Kerala Police commandos engaged in a fierce gun battle with Maoists in Uruppumkutty forest in Kannur on Monday, police said.
While senior officers declined to disclose details of the operation conducted by the elite Thunderbolt and Special Operation Group commandos, local police sources said the Maoists opened fire at the commandos who were on combing operation in the forest, prompting the latter to return fire.
After finding bloodstains in the area, the police have placed hospitals in the area under surveillance. Officials said the police have also recovered three guns.
This is the second such incident in recent days, after an exchange of fire between the Thunderbolt force and Maoists in a forest area in Wayanad the previous week. Two Maoists, identified as Chandru and Unnimaya, were arrested after the gun battle in the Periya area under the Thalappuzha police station limit in Wayanad.
In a separate incident last month, a group of six armed Maoists took control of a private resort in Makkimala, Wayanad. They seized the manager’s mobile phone to convey a statement to the media about issues faced by estate workers. The police registered a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act in connection with this incident.
There have been recent reports indicating suspected Maoist presence in various forest-fringe hamlets in northern Wayanad and Kannur districts.
Meanwhile, after the gun battle, the police intensified checks on interstate check posts in the Nilgiris on Monday.
Though there is no perceived threat, the police have mounted a vigil to prevent extremists from infiltrating Tamil Nadu. Nilgiris SP P Sundaravadivel inspected the security measures at the check posts and ‘O’ Valley check post located along the forests.
