Officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) launched a series of raids across locations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka on Tuesday, October 12, to unearth suspected training places and hideouts of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) party. The Hindu reported that the raids were triggered by specific intelligence inputs on people being indoctrinated into the party’s ideology through propaganda material. It also said that, according to NIA officials, videos used to train the cadre were also found. 

As per other reports, raids are underway at as many as 20 locations across Kerala, Karnataka Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The case was registered earlier this year in Edakkara of Kerala’s Malappuram, pertaining to an alleged conspiracy by the members of CPI (Maoist) for conducting training camps, arms training, flag hoisting and celebrations on the formation day of CPI (Maoist) in September 2016 in the Nilambur forest area.

The NIA took over the case recently from the Anti-Terrorism Squad, which was probing the issue after the case was filed in 2017 at the Edakkara police station. The NIA has listed 19 persons as accused in the matter, including three people who were killed in encounters. The first information report (FIR) filed by the NIA reportedly said that the accused from the CPI (Maoist) were engaged in anti-national activities by allegedly organising a training camp, which included arms training, flag hoisting in the last week of September 2016 on the occasion of the anniversary of the party’s formation.