Thiruvananthapuram: CPI Kerala state secretary Kanam Rajendran stated that Maoists are not a threat in Kerala. He added that it is only the police who want Maoists to remain a threat in Kerala.
Addressing a press conference, Kanam said that those residing inside the forest in Kerala were interested in returning to a democratic system. It is not right to eliminate them though encounters and shootouts.
'Public representatives who visited the site in Wayanad have realised that the encounter which took place the other day was one sided. Bullet wounds sustained by Maoist Velmurugan prove this. If there was an encounter, how come not even one of the police officers got injured?' asked Kanam.
“There is no Naxalite threat in Kerala. But shooting them down every now and then only helps to tarnish the image of the only Communist government in the country. The Thunderbolt must refrain from such encounters and shootouts. I don’t think the Thunderbolt is needed in Kerala’s forests. I hope that the government will take action in this regard,” said Kanam Rajendran.
The Centre is providing large funds in the name of eliminating Maoists. This is why people are being shot down every now and then, the CPI leader said.
A magisterial investigation must be conducted into the incident. But correct reports of the magisterial investigation rarely come out, added Kanam Rajendran.
