Dragnet for Naxal’s wife
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Dragnet for Naxal's wife
Thursday July 12 2007 08:52 IST
SALEM: Following the arrest of Naxal kingpin Sundaramurthy in Tirupur on Monday, the 'Q' branch police have intensified their search throughout Salem and surrounding regions like Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri to trace the whereabouts of Sundaramurthy's wife Chandra, who is absconding since the crackdown on Naxals at Uthangarai in Krishnagiri in 2002.
Chandra, a native of Ramamurthy Nagar at Theevattypatty near Omalur in Salem, is said to be one of the prominent figures in the women's Naxal wing.
According to sources in the 'Q' branch, Chandra was also a key person in the 2002 Uthangarai training camp. However, she, along with a few others, had gone into hiding since then.
Manivasagam, another Naxal nabbed during the Uthangarai training, is Chandra's brother. He is at present living in Theevattypatty after obtaining bail in the Uthangarai case, sources said and added that with only a standard six education, Chandra fell for Sundaramurthy's daring attitude when the two were performing the duty of expanding the Maoist ideological base in the State.
The couple were united in wedlock in 1995. Chandra quarrelled with a head constable Kalaiarasi (now an inspector) in Salem in 1996, when the latter prevented her from pasting controversial posters in public places. She even cut herself using a blade when the police tried to arrest her.
According to sources, Chandra was an active member of the ''Tamilnadu Penn Urimai Kazhagam,'' later renamed as ''Puratchigara Pengal Iyakkam,'' after the outfit established nexus with Maoist outfits in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere in the nineties.
Chandra suffered from tuberculosis years ago and recovered later. A close relative of her is residing in Salem city.
Meanwhile, 'Q' branch sources said that more information would be obtained after taking the three Naxals into police custody. On the address provided by Karthik - one of the three Naxals arrested recently, sources maintained that though strong evidence was not available so far, investigation was on.
Instructions were given from Chennai to intensify vigil and nab Chandra and the other Naxals.
Suspected intrusion of Maoists
T’PURAM: The State police are on high alert against the suspected intrusion of some Maoist activists into the state.
Tamil Nadu Intelligence authorities have raised suspicions that some Maoist activists had intruded to Kerala following the busting of a training camp in Murugamalai near Periyakulam in Theni district a few days back.
„We are on high alert in wake of the statement of the Tamil Nadu Intelligence authorities in this regard. However, nobody could be identified or held. We have also not received any official communications from Tamil Nadu, „ ADGP Intelligence Jacob Punnose said.
Sources said that police were verifying suspected persons in view of the alert. It may be recalled that there were reports that a Maoist leader who was killed in an encounter with the Andra Pradesh police recently was held form Kollam KSRTC bus station on June 22.
Jobless youth targeted
Thursday July 12 2007 08:49 IST
COIMBATORE: In what could be seen as a significant development, the Maoist outfits seem to be targeting unemployed youth in urban areas for recruitment of cadre, according to State Intelligence officials.
The arrest of most-wanted Maoist V Sundaramurthy and his associates in Tirupur had shifted the focus of the police on this hosiery town and the neighbouring Coimbatore, both places identified as ‘‘safehouse’’ centres for these Naxalites.
In fact, even a few weeks ago, Intelligence officials in Coimbatore had said that they were worried about the possibility of Maoist extremist activities than that of Islamic fundamentalists.
‘‘From the documents and pamphlets recovered during the arrest of Sundaramurthy, it is evident that the Maoists are using ideological propaganda to target unemployed youth in the cities. This had come to light during the interrogation of some of them arrested at the Murugamalai camp, who spouted propagandist statements like ‘exploitation by zamindars and agricultural workers getting less than Rs 20 as wages’. They clearly exhibited a lack of knowledge of the rural realities,’’ an intelligence official said in Chennai.
Meanwhile, officials said that Sundaramurthy’s arrest and the resultant hunt for others who escaped from Murugamalai created a major setback to the Maoists, bringing their activities to a halt at least for a while.
Labels: Tamilnadu
posted by Resistance 7/12/2007 10:07:00 AM,
