A detailed interrogation of Maoist activist Dr Dinesh, who was recently arrested by anti-terrorist squad (ATS) of Kerala police, has revealed that he had attended an armed training camp organised by CPI (Maoist) inside Nilambur forest in 2016.

Dinesh, 31, who is coordinating urban activities of Maoist organisations, was arrested by ATS from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu on February 4. In an interrogation made by Crime Branch DySP P Vikraman, Dinesh has revealed that he was recruited to the organisation by Ajitha alias Kaveri who was killed in a police encounter inside Nlambur forest in November 2016.

According to the source of ATS, Dinesh, who attended various meetings of Maoist leaders also held discussions with central committee members of the party including Kuppu Devraj who was killed along with Ajtha in the same encounter.  “Dinesh attended meetings and training camps organised by CPI (Maoist) in the previous months of the Nilambur encounter.

He was brought to the party’s camp inside the forest with the assistance of Maoist activist Theni Kartik alias Kumar. After attending the armed training programme and meetings with senior leaders Dinesh had returned home and started coordinating activities of Democratic Students Union (DSU), a frontal organisation of CPI (Maoist). Later, he attended meetings of students organisations in various parts of the state. Dinesh also coordinated the activities between People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and DSU”, said ATS source.

Another Maoist activist Shobha alias Savitha, who is now under the custody of a police team led by DySP of Perinthalmanna in connection with a case registered by Pookkottumpadam police has already confirmed the presence of Dinesh in the training camps held in Nilambur forests. It was recently that Shobha, who managed to run away during the police encounter with Maoists at Manchakkandi in Palakkad taken into custody by Kerala police.

In October 2019, party senior leaders Mani Vasagam, Karthik, Aravind and Rama from Tamil Nadu were killed in the police encounter near Agali. The incident had badly affected the functioning of Bhavani Dalam, which was formed based in Attappadi region of  Palakkad, forcing the party to rearrange the Dalam after this incident.

Police have learned that the training camp in Nilambur was led by senior Maoist activist Deepak and his wife from Chattisgarh. Earlier, a Maoist activist Ayyappan alias Hari who was arrested by Edakkara police in 2017 also was recruited to the Naxal organisation by Theni Kumar.