Purported Maoist posters found in Kerala criticising CM Vijayan

PTI, Apr 3, 2022, 1:01 PM IST

Afew purported handwritten Maoist posters criticising Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the SilverLine railway project were found in Kozhikode district on Sunday, police said.

The Maoist posters, found in Mattikunnu area near Thamarassery in the district, criticised the Left government’s SilverLine semi-high speed railway corridor and declared the outlawed outfit’s solidarity to the people opposing the project.

The posters, allegedly put up by the CPI Maoists, also termed the state government as ”anti-people” and equated the policies of the ruling LDF to that of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

Following the appearance of posters, the local police and Kerala Thunderbolts, an elite commando force of the state police, carried out searches in and around the area for gathering information about the Maoists.

”We are monitoring the situation and have begun investigation,” Kozhikode Rural SP Dr A Sreenivas told PTI. He, however, refused to give more details.

The posters, allegedly handwritten by the extremists in A-4 size papers, called for a people’s agitation against the state government, sources said.

They said as many as 17 posters were seen in and around a bus stop shed at Mattikunnu.

This is for the first time that posters in the name of Maoists have appeared criticising the government’s SilverLine project.

The state has been witnessing agitations by affected people supported by the Congress-led UDF and the BJP since the K-Rail authorities began erecting yellow pillars, as part of what the government says are surveys to study social impact assessment in residential areas and agricultural lands.

The government has said the 530-km stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod would be beneficial for future generations, result in economic development, and reduce carbon emissions every year by around 2.8 lakh tonnes.

Starting from the state capital, SilverLine trains would have stoppages at Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode and Kannur before reaching Kasaragod.