Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Apr 11: Kuthloor Shashidhar Gowda, arrested from the Andar village bus stop in the taluk, was remanded to judicial custody till April 23. Gowda allegedly is an ardent supporter of naxals and naxal ideals.

Karkala rural police station sub-inspector Sandesh and his men had taken Shashidhar Gowda into custody from Andar village on April 8. Reportedly, they found pro-naxal pamphlets in his bag. He is from Kuthloor near Venur and is the brother of Dinakar, a naxal who died in a police encounter near Sringeri in 2006.

The policemen nabbed him during his visit to his brother's home in Kabbinale village near here, on April 8. During interrogation, he is said to have told the policemen that he gets the pamphlets from a man named Hoovappa from Sringeri and admitted to having pasted some pro-naxal wall posters at Mutlupady bus stand near Ajekar a few weeks back.

He also is said to have revealed, that he used to take about 10 to 15 people to meetings of naxals and that naxals Vasant, Sundar etc., visited his home often to collect food grains.

In the meanwhile, the police department has been warned by naxal outfits that naxal gangs are ready to retaliate if the policemen choose to conduct raids on them in Malnad region. The Maoist naxal organization has also called upon the people to boycott the coming Lok Sabha poll.