Karnataka: Naxalism back in Ghats as police kill 'wanted' leader in encounter
Naxalite Vikram Gowda was shot dead by police on November 18; he was among a group of eight remaining underground Naxals from Karnataka. He had a bounty of ₹3 lakh on him
Nearly after a decade, Naxal activities have intensified again in the Western Ghats region.
On the night of November 18, during a face-off between the Naxals and the police, the police shot dead Vikram Gowda, a suspected Naxal leader. According to Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara, the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) had been looking to apprehend Vikram Gowda for about 20 years. Describing him as a 'dreaded Naxalite', he added that he had escaped several times during other encounters.
Who was Vikram Gowda?
Vikram Gowda (44) was among the nine Maoists accused in the murder of 50-year-old bamboo basket weaver Sadashiva Gowda in Hebri in December 2011. Sadashiv Gowda was killed because he was suspected of being a police informer. According to police sources, Vikram Gowda, was among a group of eight remaining underground Naxals from Karnataka. He had a bounty of ₹3 lakh announced by Karnataka, and ₹50,000 by Kerala.
Vikram Gowda went underground in 2002 after initially getting into Naxal activities as a courier and fund collector in the forests around his home in the Western Ghats in Dakshina Kannada. He studied only till Class 4, and was involved in tribal rights activism. He was reportedly leading a breakaway group of Naxals.
The ANF conducted the encounter in Udupi district around the Hebri police station limits. Gowda, who was on the "wanted" list of the police in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, was an active member of the Naxal "Netravati" group, an ANF official said.
This marks the first instance of a death of a suspected Naxal leader in nearly 17 years of the battle against the Naxals in the Western Ghats.
Combing operations ramped up
The ANF had ramped up their combing operations after receiving information about Naxal movements in Yedagunda village, which is located in the Koppa taluk of Chikkamagaluru district.
Also read: Karnataka: One Naxalite shot dead, four others escape in Udupi district
On November 18, the ANF conducted a raid, acting on intelligence that a group of five Naxals had come near Seethambailu in Hebri, Udupi district, to collect rice and other supplies at night. The Naxals opened fire, prompting a retaliatory response from the police. In this cross-fire, the Naxal leader Gowda was killed, while five others fled the scene.
The authorities have stated that search operations are ongoing.
The anti-Naxal police had got reports of heightened Naxal activity with sightings of Mundagaaru Latha, leader of the "Tunga" team in Chikkamagaluru region.
There were confirmed sightings of Naxals in the Hebri and Karkala regions and hence, the ANF started to deepen their search in Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi districts over the past week.
Vikram Gowda had previously participated in anti-Kudremukh National Park protests decades ago. Recently, his activities were reported in the Karkala region, while Mundagaaru Latha has been active in Chikkamagaluru.
Also read: Cash-crunched Karnataka moves for 24x7 mining; activists see red
Reviving Naxal activities
According to the police, Vikram Gowda and Mundagaaru Latha’s teams had taken refuge in Kerala after a gunfight in Wayanad earlier this year, conducted by Kerala police in February. Post this incident, they reportedly moved into the Karnataka border areas.
Recently, these groups have been visiting villages, discussing issues like the Kasturirangan Report’s implications and land encroachment concerns.
Mundagaaru Latha, accompanied by three armed members, had even visited Yedagunda village in the Koppa taluk of Chikkamagaluru district, it was learnt.
The teams led by Latha and Jayanna, along with Vikram Gowda’s group, have reportedly been active over the last 15 days in regions including Koppa, Sringeri, Karkala, and Hebri. They were meeting residents, holding discussions about forest encroachment removal, and the implementation of the Kasturirangan Report.
The police believe these efforts are part of the attempts to revive Naxal activities in the Malnad region by leveraging local concerns around these two critical issues, which directly affect the survival and livelihood of the people in the area.
During a raid in Kadegundi village of Chikkamagaluru district, three illegal firearms were discovered at the residence of a local named Subbegowda. A case has been registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at the Jayapura police station.
Decade-old Naxal activity
The Malnad region has a long history of Naxal activities. On November 17, 2003, near Eedu in Karkala, naxals Parvathi and Hajima were killed in a police encounter. In 2005, Saketh Rajan, who spearheaded the Naxal movement in Malnad, was killed in the Menasinahadya encounter. The 2007 Odayara Math encounter saw five Naxals killed.
Subsequently, several key Naxals surrendered, leaving forest life behind and opting for rehabilitation. Naxal activities in Karnataka have been almost negligible since 2018 when the group was reduced to a mere 19 members who reportedly moved to neighbouring Kerala and Tamil Nadu. However, there have been reports of the revival of Naxal activities in Karnataka in recent months.
Recently, prominent Naxal leaders such as BG Krishnamurthy and Hosagadde Prabha also surrendered, signalling a decline in the movement. However, the revival attempts by Vikram Gowda and Mundagaaru Latha’s teams hint at renewed efforts by Naxals to establish a foothold in the region.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka)