ANF mistakes runaway kids to be Naxals

ANF mistakes runaway kids to be Naxals

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Nov 29, 2012 :  The Anti Naxal Force (ANF) personnel on Nov 28, Wednesday mistook two kids who had run away from home to be Naxals.

The ANF noticed two young people running away from the police. They followed them into the forests of Urbiligundi of Kataje, where they came across a tent and found clothes, rice, chicken, and other items. IGP (ANF) Alok Mohan said that the ANF thought that the supplies were meant for the Naxals. The ANF, therefore, investigated, and finally Hasanabba of Charmadi Hotel expressed his doubts that the tents could be set up by two children who had run away from home 4 days back. In the evening, the ANF found the children.

 

Nearly 300 ANF officers and police officers were involved in the combing operations in Neriya, Charmadi, and Ambatemale.

The children had set up tents nearly 1.5kms from Hasanabba’s Charmadi Hotel. They had stored items such as kerosene, clothes, rice, chicken, plates, wheat flour, sugar, aluminium wires, stereo, and so on n the tents. Initially, the ANF believed that the items were meant for Naxals.

IGP Alok Mohan told reporters that Naxals in Subramanya and Sullia had fled to Wayanand in Kerala, adding that the ANF was not hunting 5 teams of around 25 Naxals.

The children were Savad (14), son of Johra and Abdul Manaf of Charmadi Kundottu, and Salam (11) of Ujire TB Cross. They had run away from home four days back, and before running away, they had stolen a few things from the neighbors. Their parents had not bothered to register a case as the boys were in the habit of running away and returning after a few days. Previously, they had run away to places such as Kakkinje, Ullal, and Kaup. Reportedly, the boys did not want to go to school and they did not want to stay at home either. When they saw the police, they were scared and ran away deeper into the forest, making the ANF feel that they were Naxals.

The local people soon joined the ANF in searching for the boys. Finally, they were found hiding in the toilet of an Anganwadi near Mattur Temple in Charmadi. They still managed to escape from the search team of around 60 people and were finally caught and handed over to the police.

They were interrogated and taken back home. The kids told the police that they wanted to live in the forest.