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Identifying Kasaragod, the northernmost district of Kerala, as a communal cauldron where 1,113 cases of communal conflict have occurred in the past ten years, the Kerala Police have recommended constitution of a specially trained force to be stationed permanently for ensuring peace and social harmony.
A detailed report submitted to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, S Sreejit, Deputy Inspector General of Police (North), said that the tensions recurring in Kasaragod had not been political but communal. The main reason for serious communal flare-ups was the failure to settle simple issues as and when they occur, the report says.
Sreejith recommends the constitution of a 900-perspnnel strong special police force for Kasaragod to be deployed in the first phase in a 54-km north-south stretch, mostly along the coastal belt. The personnel should be given CRPF-level training and also they should be trained in methods of dealing with communal conflicts, the report says.
The Government, which has already approved the report, has assured the Police Department that steps will be taken immediately for the constitution of a special force. A copy of the report had been submitted to Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose. The Kanhangad region of Kasaragod district had witnessed widespread communal violence since mid-October.
As per 2005 statistics, Kasaragod had a Muslim population of over 400,000 while Hindus numbered about 700,000. The district’s Christian population was then close to 85,000. Muslims constitute 24.7 percent of the total Kerala population while Hindus form 56.20 percent and Christians 19 percent.
In the report, Sreejith has said that there should be 800 police personnel including 60 women on duty always. The special force should have 90 Sub-Inspectors and 102 drivers and should be provided with 33 jeeps and 18 buses. The data book prepared by the police says that the western side of the National Highway 17 is the main zone of tension.
It says that conflicts occurring per year in Kasaragod have been increasing since 2006. If the total recorded number of conflicts between 2001 and 2006 were 172, this grew to 1,113 by 2011. More than 10,000 persons had been named as accused in these cases but not even a single accused has been punished so far and this is acting as an encouragement to trouble-makers.
Sreejith’s report has recommended giving emphasis to patrolling by the police in trouble-prone areas, opening of special control rooms for people to access in emergency and strengthening of the police force in number and preparedness in the district. Sub divisions should function based at Kasaragod, Hosdurg and Vellarikkundu, it says.
The report says that the special force should focus on building friendly relationship with the local people and forge the same among them. The personnel should be able to understand in detail the problem specific to each area. At least one police personnel in each patrol group would be well-versed in the issues specific to the concerned area, the data book says.
The recommendations have come close on the heels of a police report that an Islamist group and a Muslim political party could have been behind the communal violence that occurred this month in the district. The plan of these two outfits was said to be to find a foothold for hawala and counterfeit currency rackets in Kasaragod.
A now-disbanded judicial commission had received police reports that activists of the Muslim League, second largest constituent of the Congress-led ruling UDF collation, had deliberately indulged in violence on November 15, 2009, by attacking the police and a temple, a colony and commercial establishments owned by Hindus.
As per the police report, the Muslim League workers, who had assembled in Kasaragod town on that day to give a reception to their senior leaders, had unleashed the violence as part of a suspected plan to sow seeds of communal conflict across Northern Kerala. Two persons were killed – one in police firing – on that day.
A detailed report submitted to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, S Sreejit, Deputy Inspector General of Police (North), said that the tensions recurring in Kasaragod had not been political but communal. The main reason for serious communal flare-ups was the failure to settle simple issues as and when they occur, the report says.
Sreejith recommends the constitution of a 900-perspnnel strong special police force for Kasaragod to be deployed in the first phase in a 54-km north-south stretch, mostly along the coastal belt. The personnel should be given CRPF-level training and also they should be trained in methods of dealing with communal conflicts, the report says.
The Government, which has already approved the report, has assured the Police Department that steps will be taken immediately for the constitution of a special force. A copy of the report had been submitted to Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose. The Kanhangad region of Kasaragod district had witnessed widespread communal violence since mid-October.
As per 2005 statistics, Kasaragod had a Muslim population of over 400,000 while Hindus numbered about 700,000. The district’s Christian population was then close to 85,000. Muslims constitute 24.7 percent of the total Kerala population while Hindus form 56.20 percent and Christians 19 percent.
In the report, Sreejith has said that there should be 800 police personnel including 60 women on duty always. The special force should have 90 Sub-Inspectors and 102 drivers and should be provided with 33 jeeps and 18 buses. The data book prepared by the police says that the western side of the National Highway 17 is the main zone of tension.
It says that conflicts occurring per year in Kasaragod have been increasing since 2006. If the total recorded number of conflicts between 2001 and 2006 were 172, this grew to 1,113 by 2011. More than 10,000 persons had been named as accused in these cases but not even a single accused has been punished so far and this is acting as an encouragement to trouble-makers.
Sreejith’s report has recommended giving emphasis to patrolling by the police in trouble-prone areas, opening of special control rooms for people to access in emergency and strengthening of the police force in number and preparedness in the district. Sub divisions should function based at Kasaragod, Hosdurg and Vellarikkundu, it says.
The report says that the special force should focus on building friendly relationship with the local people and forge the same among them. The personnel should be able to understand in detail the problem specific to each area. At least one police personnel in each patrol group would be well-versed in the issues specific to the concerned area, the data book says.
The recommendations have come close on the heels of a police report that an Islamist group and a Muslim political party could have been behind the communal violence that occurred this month in the district. The plan of these two outfits was said to be to find a foothold for hawala and counterfeit currency rackets in Kasaragod.
A now-disbanded judicial commission had received police reports that activists of the Muslim League, second largest constituent of the Congress-led ruling UDF collation, had deliberately indulged in violence on November 15, 2009, by attacking the police and a temple, a colony and commercial establishments owned by Hindus.
As per the police report, the Muslim League workers, who had assembled in Kasaragod town on that day to give a reception to their senior leaders, had unleashed the violence as part of a suspected plan to sow seeds of communal conflict across Northern Kerala. Two persons were killed – one in police firing – on that day.
