Constant vigil to prevent ISIS from radicalising youth: EPS

Replying to the debate on demand for grants for the police department in the Assembly, Palaniswami said the state police was constantly monitoring the activities of ISIS and busting its attempts to indoctrinate and lure youth of a religion to the movement. As many as 29 ISIS sympathisers were deradicalised by the police in the past in the state.

Recalling the arrest of six persons with ISIS links in Kerala, three persons at Yervadi, including a Pakistani national Mohammed Younis who had infiltrated into India via Sri Lanka, and six youth at Keelakarai in Ramanathapuram, Palaniswami said the vigilant policemen were preventing the infiltration of Naxalites into the state by keeping constant vigil on inter-state borders and frequent combing of the state forests.

Drawing the attention of the House to the arrest of alleged Maoists Mahalingam, Murali, Murugan and Regina Jose Mary, who were at large for long, Palaniswami said the police were constantly preventing seaward incursion of terrorists by stepping up vigil jointly with the Coast Guard, coastal security group and the Navy.

Responding to Leader of Opposition MK Stalin’s charge that the state was on the boil because of quelling of democratic protests, Palaniswami said the police was handling protests patiently and smartly when people agitate fearing threat to their livelihood. Some parties have made it their prime agenda to organise protests daily and create an impression that law and order was deteriorating in the state in the vain hope of destabilising Amma’s regime and capture power, Palaniswami said, obviously referring to the DMK.

Drawing reference from the Bureau of Police Research and Development, which suggested that 15 per cent of the protests in the country were happening in Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said that the state was recording 47 protests daily. He put the total number of protests organised by various groups, including those organised by political parties and government employees, at 31,269 in 2017.

Palaniswami also announced a number of welfare measures for the police department, including setting up of a welfare board for retired policemen and creation of new posts at a cost of Rs 13.51 crore. He announced purchase of 18 Vajra Riot Control Vehicles at a cost of Rs 3.96 crore, apart from 15 Varun Riot control vehicles at a cost of Rs 9.75 crore.

He said 1,397 new police vehicles will be purchased at a cost of Rs 119.73 crore. A further Rs 100 crore will be allocated to replace as many as 2,601 old vehicles. Three Armed Reserve wings would be created in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court at a cost of Rs 12.02 crore besides setting up of a new police station at a cost of Rs 5.73 crore.