TN police on alert as Maoist groups tries to increase influence

Chennai, Dec 21 (BPNS)

The Central intelligence agencies have alerted Tamil Nadu police on Maoist groups trying to assert their influence in the society. The central agencies have in a recent alert to the state police informed that the CPI (Maoist) was trying to recruit educated youths massively. 

The left extremists are trying to take up a major campaign against the 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) as one of the issues to gain ground among the backward classes and the Dalit groups.

The Maoists, according to sources, are also trying to revive the Western Ghat Special Zonal committee at the tri-junction forests of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

It may be noted that senior Maoist leader Roopesh was arrested by the ‘Q’ branch of the Tamil Nadu police and has been in jail for the past few years. Ever since his arrest and judicial custody the Maoist movement has been weakened in the tri-junction and the Western Ghat Special Zonal Committee has been defunct.

It may be noted that ever since the CPI-M-led Left Front Government of Pinarayi Vijayan assumed office in Kerala, 8 Maoists were gunned down and this has led to the Moist groups lying low.

The Maoists according to the intelligence report have already recruited a few students from a law college in Southern Tamil Nadu and are trying to use these students as their front end citing economic disparity in society.

It may be noted that the Union Home Ministry has in a recent statement said that it has been able to curtail Left Wing Extremism (LWE) to a major extent and that better coordination between the state governments and the central government would be more helpful to wade of the threat posed by the Maoists.

Sources in agencies told BPNS that the CPI (Maoists ) are facing a crunch in cadre base as a good number of Maoists have shunned violence and surrendered following the outreach programme of the Government of India. However the movement, according to sources, is trying to capitalize on professionals with Tamil Nadu as a major base to increase recruitment of new cadres. 

The Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee is considered by the Maoists as a base point for spreading the ideology among the educated middle-class youths and the intelligence has alerted the Tamil Nadu police on the importance of proper monitoring of the movement at a micro level.