Policemen giving peace a chance

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amidst rumours of Tamilians being attacked in Kerala over the Mullaperiyar issue, the Kerala police have donned a different avatar to dilute tension and build confidence among Tamilians coming to the state.Men in khaki are providing refreshments like tea, snacks and water to Tamilians be it in Walayar at Palakkad or Kalliyikavila in Thiruvananthapuram.Also, Superintendent of Police (Rural) of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam are constantly in touch with their counterparts in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari to dilute attempts of attack or atrocities.The police are also ensuring cooperation of locals to maintain peace and harmony. In a bid to build confidence among Tamilians residing and coming to Kerala, the state police have also come up with a slew of measures to prevent any untoward incident, which is bearing fruit.On Wednesday, when Vaiko-led MDMK blocked 13 border roads leading to Kerala, there were hardly any incidents of violence reported against Tamilians in the state. A meeting was also held by top officials of Kerala and Tamil Nadu police here on Tuesday.The meeting, which was attended by Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP A Akbar and Kanyakumari Rural SP S Lakshmi, reached a consensus to take stringent action to curb any sort of violence. With the huge inflow of Sabarimala devotees from Tamil Nadu, the state police have opened two control rooms - one in Punalur in Kollam and other in Ranni in Pathanamthitta.The Punalur control room operates 24 hours and about 60 additional policemen are deployed in the wake of Mullaperiyar issue.“We are ensuring that Tamilians entering Kerala are safe. It is a confidence building step so that back home they spread the message that they were taken care of in Kerala,” K Padmakumar, Inspector General of Police (South Zone) told ‘Express’.To ensure the safety of Sabarimala pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, the police conducted a discussion on Tuesday with Ayyappa Seva Sangham, a voluntary organisation working for Sabarimala pilgrims, local representatives of political parties and local shop owners.“We are taking them into confidence and they are cooperating well,” Padmakumar said.