Forest offices, KFC restaurant attacked by Maoists in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Two weeks after Maoists and police exchanged fire in Wayanad, a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet and two offices of the Forest department were on Mon-day attacked by suspected Maoists in Palakkad and Wayanad districts.
No one was injured in any of these attacks which occurred in the early hours on Monday, police said. Bill-boards and the group’s pos-ters calling for armed strug-gle were found by police from the premises where the attacks took place.  Police said two persons were taken into custody in connection with the attack on Silent Valley Forest Ran-ge office in Palakkad district. Security in the areas has been tightened in the wake of the attack, police added.
District police officials said the Silent Valley Forest Range office situated at Mukkola in Attapady region of Palakkad was attacked and furniture and computers were damaged. The group also set ablaze a forest jeep parked in front of the office
. Window panes of the building also were damaged in the attack, they said. The KFC restaurant at Chandra-nagar in Palakkad was attacked by a group of men, police said adding that posters displaying anti-US slogans were found at the building from where it functions.Wayanad Collec-tor Keshvendra Kumar told PTI that modus operandi indica-te that the attacks were carried out by Maoists.
“Wordings in the posters and modus operandi indica-te that Maoists are behind the attack,” he said. Comb-ing operations were already on and in the wake of the latest incident, vigilance has been intensified especially in the vulnerable areas, he added. The attacks assume significance as it comes after an exchange of fire between police and Maoists at Vellamunda in Wayanad district on Dec  7. It took place when personnel of Thunder-bolt, a special police wing, was conduc-ting a routine combing operation.  (PTI)