Arrest of Al-Qaeda operatives shows the Kerala is safe haven for terrorists

The arrest of Al-Qaeda operatives from Kerala shows that the state has become a safe haven for terrorists, BJP president K Surendran has said.

The BJP leader hit out at the LDF government for ignoring repeated warnings of central agencies and the UN on terror activities in the state. He alleged that terror groups were operating in the state with the connivance of the state Home Department and a section of the police.

“In terror cases, the police and the ruling dispensation have been showing gross criminal negligence. Terror elements have been given a fertile soil to thrive after the Pinarayi Vijayan government assumed office,” Surendran told reporters.

The BJP leader cited previous cases such as the Wagamon, Panayikulam, and Narath terror camps and Kanakamala IS case as instances in which the state government allegedly played a dubious role. The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the state police has become defunct, he said. Surendran pointed out that busting of a terror camp at Kanakamala, a CPM stronghold and a party village, showed that such activities had the blessings of the ruling party.

He further alleged that terror influence was growing Inside Kerala police ranks, He cited a radical WhatsApp group ‘Pachavelicham’ that operates secretly among Kerala Police personnel. However, the Home Department has done nothing to curb such influences, he said.

The BJP leader accused the CPM of creating insecurity among the minorities by invoking the Quran in the Jaleel case. Such a stance has contributed towards the growth of fundamentalism and terrorism in the state, he said. “In the Sabarimala issue, the CPM took a stance which was clearly against the majority community. But in a case (Jaleel issue) where the minorities were not interested, the government was quick to play the victim card and portray that the Muslim community was being hounded,” Surendran said.

‘Examine credentials’ Surendran said the BJP has been highlighting the dangers posed by terror groups that have infiltrated among migrant workers in Perumbavoor and adjacent areas. But the state government was busy in arranging voters’ I-cards for them as part of its ploy to use them as a vote bank.

“The Election Commission should verify the credentials of guest workers who have been enrolled in voters list recently,” the BJP leader demanded.

Source: New Indian Express