Suspected Maoists attacked a private tourist resort in Thirunelli, a pilgrimage centre among the forests of Kerala's Wayanad district, early Tuesday morning. Maoist presence had been noticed in Wayanad district a long time ago. This was the second incident of alleged Maoist attack in Kerala within a span of eight days.
Employees of the tourist resort said a four-member gang carried out the attack at 3.00 am on Tuesday. The employees did not come out of their quarters even after hearing the commotion as they initially thought that it could be an invasion of wild elephants into the resort compound. But then they heard slogans being shouted, they said.
The 'Maoists' had carried out the attack probably in the light of mobile phones after switching off the power of the entire resort, reports said. They broke the glass panes of the resort's reception and restaurant and damaged telephones, computer monitors and printer at the resort's office.
Posters belonging to the CPI(Maoist) were found stuck on the walls of the resort. The posters contained a call to the people to join the tenth anniversary celebrations of the formation of the CPI(Maoist). There were only six employees and three families, one from Germany, at the resort at the time of the 'Maoist' attack.
The Superintendent of Police, Wayanad held preliminary inspection at the resort in the context of the attack. A huge police posse and a team of the Kerala Police's specially trained Thunderbolt commandos were deployed at the resort and surroundings. Police sources said a detailed investigation would be carried out into the incident.
A local resident said that there were talks of Maoists' presence in the area in the recent times. The entire Wayanad district has been under the observation of the Kerala Police and the Thunderbolt guerillas since February, 2013, when presence of Maoists in the forest areas of north Kerala was first reported.
Reports said that Maoists posters were found stuck on the walls of the Government College and near the post office in Mananthawady in the district some days ago. There were also reports that a seven-member gang of armed Maoists had visited the Kurichya colony at Thalappuzha recently and talked to the Adivasis on Maoist ideology for a long time.
Suspected Maoists had vandalised the corporate office of the private Nitta Gelatin Company in Kochi on November 10 as a warning to the firm against the pollution its factory had been causing in the village of Kathikudam in Thrissur district. Several computers, furniture and car had been damaged in the attack.
Three days after the incident, a letter was issued in the name of the Western Ghats Zonal Committee of the CPI(Maoist) claiming responsibility for the attack on the gelatin firm's office. The letter said the attack was just a symbolic response to the company's atrocities and further responses would not be symbolic.