After Almost 2 Decades, Naxal Activities are on the Decline in Coastal Districts

MANGALURU: The guns of Naxals, who were very active for almost two decades in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district, have fallen silent in the past few years. No disturbing activities by them have been reported in the recent past.

The Naxals were once very active in the Western Ghats along the coastal districts. The last time Naxal activities were reported in this region was during the state assembly and Lok Sabha polls, after which there is no trace of them. After Shivamogga, Chikkamagalur and Udupi districts, Naxals made their way to Dakshina Kannada, a decade ago. Uppinanagady witnessed the first Naxal activity in 2007.

Sources say that there are only a few suspected Naxals currently operating in the state — Mundagaru Latha, Angadi Pradeep and three others. However, their whereabouts are not known and sources say that they might have shifted their base to other states such as Kerala or Tamil Nadu. Vikram Gowda is in Kerala and BG Krishnamurthy is operating in Tamil Nadu. “Latha, Pradeep and three others show up in coastal Karnataka. It is just a show that they are still present in Karnataka whereas in reality they have shifted to Tamil Nadu or Kerala,” said a reliable source.
Explaining how Naxals struck roots in the coastal and Malnad districts, BM Lakshmi Prasad, superintendent of police, Dakshina Kannada, who also headed ANF, Karkala, said that Raichur, Ballari, Bidar and Tumakuru districts in the state were used as ‘cool-off’ places by Naxals in 1980s. Aafter conflicts in Andhra Pradesh, the Naxals migrated to these districts, used as hideouts. “Once police operation intensified and after an encounter of a prominent Naxal, they considered to relocate to a safe place. Naxal Saketh Rajan, who was killed in an encounter in 2005, had earlier identified Kudremukh National Park — where there was a tussle between locals, tribals and forest officials —as an ideal place to move in. He entered KNP area in 2002, studied, surveyed and published a book on their issues. After spreading their ideology, the Naxals trained local recruits in the use of weapons,” said Lakshmi Prasad.
“In 2003, during a firearm training session, a woman had injured her leg at Mala in Karkala taluk. She was rushed to a local hospital and police learnt about the presence of naxals. In 2005, ANF was set up and started its operation to weed out Naxals and their activities,” he said, adding that now the extremist activities of Naxals have come down in coastal districts but not completely rooted out.
According to another police officer, since 2005, 17 Naxals have been killed in encounters. Explaining reasons for their dwindling activities and dominance, the officer said that the movement lost its momentum after the closure of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company. Meanwhile, all those areas which had their presence were given good government packages. People, who once supported Naxals, saw better roads, schools, cellphone network and other infrastructure coming up in their region. There was mobility of youths to find greener pastures and they improved academically and economically. “It was worrying for Naxals as there were no fresh recruits. After series of brainstorming between 2010-2012, they finally decided to shift their base to Kerala. At that time Karnataka had about 42 to 60 Naxals. They moved from Chikkamagalur, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada to Kerala in March 2013. The last encounter took place in 2012 during their migration,” said sources.

Source: TOI

Image Courtesy: The Hindu