Radical groups active in Idukki: Cops

KOCHI: Police have sounded an alert in the plantation regions in Idukki, after there have been attempts by certain Tamil radical groups to create unrest among the Tamils living in the area through false propaganda, in the last couple of months.
According to police officials, a security assessment is being conducted in various parts of Idukki after there were repeated attempts by the radicals to spread hatred among the Tamil population against the local authorities.
Vandiperiyar grama panchayat recently conducted a survey against the backdrop of rise in HIV cases, alcohol and drug abuse and mobile phone misuse among the people living in the grama panchayat.
While the survey was conducted in nearly 10,700 of the total 10,800 houses in Vandiperiyar grama panchayat, the radicals were propagating it was conducted only among the Tamil population in the panchayat, and done to malign the Tamils in the region as alcohol and drug addicts with loose morals.
But the panchayat authorities denied the allegation. "We covered all the houses in the panchayat in the survey. We left out around100 houses because there were no one staying in them," said panchayat president G Vijayanand.
He said that the survey titled "peoples education against social evils (Pease)" was conducted by the local body after the number of HIV cases and domestic violence increased in the panchayat in the last couple of years.
"We wanted to carry out a social awareness programme based on the findings of the survey," the president added.
Meanwhile the police are clsoely watching the developments in the area.
"The radicals initially managed to organize a group of Tamils in the region to take out a protest march. We have been keeping track of the development and taking necessary steps to ensure that the situation does not flare up," said Kattapana DSP M N Ramesh.