No case registered under the anti-terror law till May this year
Thiruvananthapuram:Kerala has not recorded a single case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the first five months of 2026. According to security experts, this drop to zero is due to the weakening of Maoist activities in the state.
This marks the steepest decline in nearly a decade for UAPA cases. Statistics presented in the Kerala Assembly show a steady decrease over the past three years—from 32 cases in 2023, to five in 2024, and three in 2025. As of May 31 this year, no cases have been registered under the Act.
According to the police, the decline in cases suggests that offences under the stringent anti-terror law have dropped sharply. The number of cases had risen significantly around 2016 when Maoist groups were active in certain areas, but with their activities weakening considerably, there’s been a steady decrease since then.
Coordinated operations with neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, especially in the Tri Junction forest areas, combined with the state government's focus on welfare measures in tribal settlements, along with increased surveillance by intelligence agencies and anti-terror squads, have also contributed to the fall in offences attracting UAPA sections.
During the 2016-2020 period when the LDF was ruling the state, eight Maoists were killed. Among them, Kuppu Devarajan and Ajith, alias Kaveri, both from Tamil Nadu, died in a clash between police and Maoists in Malappuram on November 24, 2016.
On March 6, 2019, C. P. Jaleel was killed in a confrontation with Thunderbolt personnel at a private resort in Lakkidi, Wayanad district. On October 28, 2019, Sreemathi, Suresh, Karthi, and Manivasam, all from Chikmagalur, were killed during an encounter with the Kerala police’s Thunderbolt unit. Velmurukan from Tamil Nadu was killed on November 3, 2020, in Wayanad.
