Suspected Maoists attack stone quarry in Kannur district of Kerala

Suspected Maoists attack stone quarry in Kannur district of Kerala

FP Staff January 2, 2015, 16:09:35 IST

What may the local security establishment worried is that this is the fifth such attack in the region, one that isn’t known for the presence of Maoists.

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Suspected Maoists attack stone quarry in Kannur district of Kerala

In another suspected Maoist attack in Kerala, a group of alleged naxals attacked a stone crusher unit in Kerala’s Kannur district early on Friday morning and set it on fire.

No workers were injured in the attack.

In the incident, a group of five suspected Maoists dressed in military fatigues tied up the security guard and then vandalised the office of New Bharat Stone Crusher firm while raising pro-Maoist slogans, reported the Indian Express.

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According to a CNN-IBN report, posters of the CPI (Maoists) were put up across the premises of the stone quarry in which they claimed responsibility for the attack.

Representational image. PTI

While there have been no arrests so far, the police is examining CCTV footage to identify those responsible.

Kerala’s Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the attack was carried out by Maoist sympathisers.

However, what has the local security establishment worried is that this is the fifth such attack in the region – one that isn’t known for the presence of Maoists – in a month.

Security agencies recently claimed that the Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee of the CPI (Maoist) have launched a “series of actions” in the southern state, beginning with vandalising forest department establishments in Wayanad and Palakkad districts.

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Suspected Maoists earlier attacked offices of a forest department in the Palakkad and Waynad districts in Kerala and put up billboards and posters. A group had also attacked  outlets of Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds in Palakkad city.

The attack on the forest department offices came a few weeks after an exchange of fire between police and Maoists at Vellamunda.

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There had been some reports of Naxal activities in the state in the period between 1960-70s but there weren’t any major incidents involving the group ever since. Wayanad had been a hotbed of Naxalite activities during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

with inputs from PTI

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