KOCHI: As allegations fly thick and fast that the gunning down of four suspected Maoists in the Agali forest in Palakkad was a fake encounter, Kerala Police have revealed that several criminal charges had been pending against the deceased proving that they were CPI (Maoist) cadre who were wanted in cases including the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Indian Arms Act.
Top police officers told TNIE that the deceased were all wanted in connection with different cases registered in the state and also in Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
The case files against the deceased, copies of which have been accessed by TNIE, show that Manivasakam, alias Mani, alias Saravanan, of Ramamoorthy Nagar at Deevattipatti in Omalur, Salem, was arrested on November 24, 2002 at Uthangiri under various sections of the Indian Arms Act and the now-repealed Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 while he was in a training programme and was granted bail in 2007. Records also show that another case under the Arms Act was also pending against him at Mathikonpalayam police station in Dharmapuri district.
Similarly, Karti, alias Kannan, of Maniketti Street at Kallur in Thirumayam, Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, was wanted in connection with a case under the Arms Act registered at Koratput police station. The police records show that Karti was arrested from Murugamalai forest area and was in prison for three-and-a-half years in a case registered at Periyakulam police station.
Police officers said the other persons – Rema, alias Sreemathi, and Arvind -- who were also killed in the encounter had several cases pending against them in Kerala that included provisions of the Arms Act registered at Vazhikadavu and Thamarassey police stations.
Between June 2018 and June 2019, over 300 sightings of left-wing extremists (LWE) with arms were reported in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu-Karnataka tri-junction. “The combing operation was done as per the coordinated operational input from police forces of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. For the past few months, state police have been doing combing operations in the forests. Strict warning was given to LWEs to surrender after Kerala announced a surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy for the insurgents,” said a senior officer.
Will inquire if there is any complaint: Governor
Commenting on the Maoist killings, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said that he has not received any report that the killings were in violation of the law of the land. “Whatever action we have to take, it must be in accordance with the law of the land. If there was a threat to the law and order from any source, we do not know,” he told reporters here on Wednesday.
The governor, however, said if there are complaints, they can be looked into. “If there are any complaints, the matter can be looked into and we can fully inquire,” he said.