According to the police, a significant group of Maoists has established a camp in the jungle near the Kambamala tea plantations in Wayanad. Since the attack on the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) office at Kambamala on September 28, Maoist cadres have been frequently spotted in the area. They have entered the run-down cottages of plantation workers, spreading revolutionary messages, posting posters, and allegedly intimidating those who resist.
During their recent visit to the workers’ cottages on Wednesday night, the cadres reportedly damaged surveillance cameras installed by the police at the entry points. Mananthavadi DySP PL Shyju mentioned that both Thunderbolt commandos and local police have increased nighttime patrols. He suspects that the Maoist group is more extensive than just a five-member unit and may include women. The police believe the cadres are familiar with the region and can navigate the jungle routes undetected.
Notable members of the Maoist cadre include CP Moideen, the brother of the late Maoist leader CP Jaleel, a former journalist named Soman from Kozhikode, and Jisha, a tribal woman from the Athimala settlement near Kambamala.
The 168 workers at KFDC’s Kambamala tea plantations held a protest demanding protection from the armed Maoists who roam the region, causing concerns and unrest among laborers. A scuffle between a worker and Maoist cadres on Wednesday night triggered the protest, but it ended after talks with the police.
Kambamala and its adjacent forests are known areas for Maoist activities, with reports of them sourcing provisions, shouting slogans, and distributing propaganda material in nearby settler hamlets and tribal areas.
Wayanad, once a hotbed of left extremism, experienced a surge of Maoist activity a couple of decades ago. However, conflicts within the organization and state intervention led to the decline of Maoist presence in the tribal zones. The last police shootout resulting in the death of a Maoist cadre occurred on March 7, 2019, when CP Jaleel was killed in Wayanad. There have been periodic sightings of Maoist cadres in the jungles since then.
The recent affinity of Maoist cadres towards tea plantation workers is attributed to the price crash of leaf tea and the uncertainty faced by plantation laborers. The presence of repatriated Sri Lankan Tamil workers in these isolated settlements provides the Maoist cadres with opportunities for infiltration and safe exit routes into the jungle.
The situation in Wayanad remains tense, with Maoist activity resurging in the region.
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