Like in Kashmir, the inner-rot in Kerala needs to be cleaned up to beat down the Islamic radicals

In Kashmir it has been found that there are many working within the government who are giving out prior information to the terrorists. The administration has been sacking such officials and this has given dividends to the security forces who have been gunning down terrorists.

New Delhi, Jan 01: In October this year, the Kerala police denied a report that many part of its force had links with the now banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

Earlier this week, when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted a raid at 56 places in Kerala, there were reports which stated that three members of the PFI had managed to escape due to prior information which is suspected was handed out by some members of the local police.

Sources tell OneIndia that the the agencies would also probe the role of the local administration and like was seen in Kashmir, it is important to beat down the inside rot in order to curtail anti-national acts.

We do not rule out the role of the local administration in information leaking said the source cited above. The PFI has been operating for long and has many a time got away since 2006 thanks to support from within, be it the local police or politicians. That in itself explains how the outfit was able to grow to such an extent and carry out its operations.

In Kashmir, following the abrogation of Article 370, the state administration made a lot of efforts to weed out out the rot from within the administration who were passing on information to the terrorists and their sympathisers. This information came in handy to these persons as a result of which they were able to carry out their activities unabated.

Intelligence Bureau officials say that there are many in the Kerala administration who have sensitive positions and are in close contact with the operatives of the PFI. The problem is that it is not just the money that the PFI has used to lure these officials into their fold. A good number of people are in cahoots with the PFI because they themselves have been radicalised and believe in its ideology.

The PFI like the Urban Naxals too followed the same modus operandi of infiltrating the force. A key document prepared by the naxalites speaks of infiltrating the police force, government offices and even the Indian Army. The PFI has operated text book Urban Naxals in Kerala as a result of which their unprecedented growth can be explained.

While the first raids by the NIA targeted the top rung of the leadership, the second one was in connection with the second rung. In the months to come, the NIA would go after the foot-soldiers as they have the capability of regrouping with instructions from jail from their masters. However the inner rot is the most important to clean up, officials cited above said.

When the first raid took place, the NIA, Enforcement Directorate and the CRPF all under the Centre had not informed the local police before hand. This led to a very successful operation and not one PFI member managed to get away. During the second raid that took place last week, the NIA had intimated the local police and three PFI operatives managed to get away. That tells the story of the inside rot.