KOZHIKODE: Kerala has woken up late to the Maoist threat in the state. Warned by the Tamil Nadu Q Branch about the Maoist infiltration from across the border as early as 2008, it preferred to do nothing.

Similar warnings from the Karnataka and Andhra police too were ignored as the state relied on its intelligence officials, who claimed it had nothing to worry about.

Only now has it realized that it needs a special task force trained in jungle warfare to take on the Maoists camping in Kerala.

“We issued one notice after another to the Kerala government warning of the Maoists entering the state. The issue was also elaborately discussed at a meeting of senior police officials from South India in Thiruvananthapuram.

But Kerala preferred not to act for several years although we even passed on the names of leaders, who had infiltrated it,” said a senior police official, who was a part of the Tamil Nadu Q Branch in the past.

The delay has cost the state as Maoist leaders have been able to get a foothold in Kerala in the years they were given a free run with their propaganda among the people.

“Kerala’s move to train its officials in combing and jungle warfare at the Special Task Force base in Tamil Nadu and with the help of the Grey Hounds in Andhra has come a little late.

It has let the Maoist leaders, experienced in jungle life, establish a stronger network already. They could have by now created an informer network to learn about the moves of the Thunderbolt team, which could explain its failure to nab even one Maoist leader so far,” added the Tamil Nadu official.

While anti-Naxal squads in other states believed the Maoists were only using Kerala as a hideout, they have been proved wrong with the ultras clearly signalling that they mean business here as well with the attack on resorts in Wayanad and a private company in the heart of Kochi city.