A resort owned by a private person at Attamala near Meppadi in Wayanad has been vandalised, allegedly by Maoists. Handwritten posters stuck on a wall of the resort said the attack was in retaliation for ‘sexual exploitation of tribal women at the resort’, police said.
According to a Special Branch of the police in Kalpetta, the vandalism happened between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. “There were handwritten posters fixed on the walls which claimed that the attack was conducted by Maoists in protest against sexual exploitation of women from tribal communities. The posters say that Kabani Dhalam of CPI (Maoists) is claiming responsibility for the attack and warned against the sexual exploitation of tribal women,” a police personnel with the Special Branch told TNM.
The posters also reportedly say that women from tribal communities were invited to the resort under the guise of giving them rice and other food items, and were sexually exploited. The police said that they have not received any complaints about the alleged sexual exploitation at the resort.
The resort is owned by one Ajaya Kumar, a resident of Bengaluru. The vandalism came to light on Wednesday when the caretaker of the resort came back from his home. The window panes of the resort were destroyed.
The Meppadi police have registered a case under IPC sections 447 (punishment for criminal trespass), and 506 (criminal intimidation).