Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the state government would work with Central agencies to deal with cases of persons gone missing with suspected extremist links.
The Chief Minister said the government would move proactively in the matter to “isolate those engaged in anti-national activities.”
The case of 21 persons gone missing from different parts of the state in mysterious circumstances is “very grave” and will be dealt with with the seriousness it deserves, Vijayan said.
Extremism has no religion but it would not be fair or warranted to paint a particular community with the brush of extremism, he cautioned.
But there is a deplorable attempt by vested interests in the state to pit one community against the other over the man-missing episodes. This will not be tolerated.
The Chief Minister said this in the State Assembly while replying to a submission by Ramesh Chennithala, Leader of the Opposition, who wanted the government to “disclose whatever could be shared in the matter.”
Vijayan replied saying that the information with the government is that 17 people are missing in the district of Kasaragode and four in Palakkad.
But the government has still not been able to confirm if all these people have indeed joined the Islamic State (IS), as is being speculated in the media.
He also pointed to reports from Mumbai that suggested that a person who is suspected to have recruited volunteers for the IS from the state has been arrested.
Meanwhile, the lone BJP member, O Rajagopal, said the matter is serious and needs to be discussed dispassionately without giving in to vote bank politics.