On the eve of his retirement from Indian Police Service, Loknath Behra, Chief of Kerala Police made a startling disclosure. “Kerala has become the largest recruiting centre of terrorist organisations. This is because of the high literacy rate among the youth in the State. The terrorist organisations prefer to recruit educated perons for the anti-national activities,” Behra told media persons in his customary interaction before demitting office.
Orissa born Behra is the longest serving police chief in Kerala having taken up the job in 2016. He was responding to a query on the influence wielded by the Islamic State (IS) in Kerala. “The instances of educated youth joining the terrorist organisation has to be viewed seriously. These organisations will not hesitate to go to any extent to charm the educated and make them join the dreaded outfits. There are any number of persons who have joined them from Kerala,” said Behra.
But he declined to divulge the modus operandi of the terrorist organisations though he conceded that there were many sleeper cells operating in the State. “While working in National Investigation Agency, I was privy to the kind of terrorists operating in Kerala,” he said.
The police chief’s statement on terrorist activities in the State comes within days of the Kerala Police seizing large quantities of explosives and other materials used in the manufacture of bombs from the forests in Pathanamthitta.
Last month, the State Police had identified a special branch Dy SP working at Kollam who had links with terrorist organisations. He had been transferred to the Crime Branch offi e at Kottayam without conducting any probe.
T P Senkumar, predecessor of Behra had warmed many times about the terrorist organisations tightening their grip in the State. “There are mass media establishments and media professionals financed by these organisations across the State,” Senkumar had said during his media meetings.