Maoists may target police stations in Wayanad

KOZHIKODE: It is suspected that Maoists may target police stations in Wayanad's tribal areas to announce the formation of a new guerrilla zone, the Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee.
The state police have deployed a commando battalion, the Thunderbolts, in Wayanad following reports of a possible Maoist ambush.
Police sources said February 18 and 19 would be crucial as Naxalite Varghese and Jogi were killed on these days, respectively.Jogi was killed in Muthanga in 2003.
For the police, guarding the Thirunelli and Pulpally police stations in Wayanad, and those in the tribal areas of Kannur, would be of top priority. Kannur district police chief Rahul R Nair told reporters that armed sentries would be posted at these stations.
Naxalites had in 1968 attacked the Pulpally police wireless station and the Thalassery police station. A year later, Kuttiyadi police station, too, was ambushed.
Meanwhile, local police and personnel from the armed battalion continued searching for Maoists in Kannur, where six ultras were spotted on February 1.
Police remained extra cautious as Maoists were known for drawing up impromptu stratagem, which they had done at Rani Bodli, Chhattisgarh in 2007, Jehanabad in 2009, Dantewada in 2010, and at Odisha's Balimela reservoir in 2008.
The previous major Maoist attack in South India was at Pavagada, Karnataka, which killed six policemen in 2005.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that a group of Malayalis trained in guerrilla warfare were behind the current spurt in Maoist activities along the Kerala-Karnataka border.
These Maoists had undergone training in Jharkhand in 2011. Among them was Sinoj alias Ramesan, former Kerala state committee member of the CPI (Maoist), who was arrested from Chekady tribal colony in Wayanad on July 14, 2009. Hailing from Thalikkulam in Thrissur, Sinoj jumped and went to Jharkhand along with a small group of Maoists from Kerala.
On his return, Sinoj has been working under the Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee.
Maoists from Kerala had also taken a guerrilla warfare-familiarisation trip to Lalgarh in West Bengal, where the ultras had engaged the security forces.
The trained Malayalis have been deployed in the Kerala-Karnataka-Tamil Nadu tri-junction area. Roopesh alias Praveen, the former secretary of the Kerala state organising committee, and his wife P A Shyna were also operating from the area.
Besides Malayalis, Maoists from Karnataka are vsuspected to be moving along the border. under Vikram Gowda, the Maoist leader from Raichur,.
B G Krishnamoorthy, who was leading the Karnataka unit of CPI (Maoist) till recently, and his wife and Maoist leader Hosagadde Prabha, might have been 'relieved' of their party responsibilities owing to illness.