‘Tri-Junction’ meeting on LS polls, naxal menace held

Mysore/Mysuru: An inter-State Tri-Junction meeting convened by senior Police Officers from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, along with forest officials, aimed to strategise steps to combat the transportation of illegal goods across borders before and during elections and to address the issue of naxalite activities, which are reportedly prevalent in the border regions of the three States.

Chaired by the Deputy Inspector General of Police Saravana Sundar of Coimbatore region in Tamil Nadu, the meeting took place on Tuesday at the Forest Department auditorium of Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. 

It saw the participation of the Superintendent of Police (SP) from Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka Padmini Sahu, Nilgiri SP Sundaravadivelu, Erode SP G. Jawahar, SP of Malappuram in Kerala, Shashidharan and other Police officials. Forest officials from Mudhumalai, Bandipur and various divisions also engaged in extensive discussions regarding procedures to be followed during the Lok Sabha elections.

With the enforcement of Model Code of Conduct within next week or ten days, both the Police and Forest Departments recognised the need to establish check-posts promptly.

Apart from election-related matters, the meeting addressed sightings of naxals in Karnataka-Kerala border and in Wayanad, Kerala, in recent times. A database containing information about naxals operating in forests across the three States was shared during the meeting. Officers presented their experiences through power point presentations, shedding light on the challenges associated with combing operations.

Officers highlighted the naxals’ purported plan to establish a ‘red corridor’ from Jharkhand to Wayanad in Kerala, operating based on certain ideologies. While recent sightings have been concentrated in the Kodagu-Kerala region, the possibility of their movement in forests of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar could not be dismissed.

The discussion also encompassed the coordination of border check-posts with neighbouring States, particularly in light of Lok Sabha elections. Concerns regarding potential unlawful activities during the elections were emphasised, with a focus on ensuring peaceful and impartial elections through mutual cooperation between Police and Forest Departments in border districts.