States » SouthPosted at: Sep 20 2026 8:37AM


Security concerns grow around Kerala’s key defence, space installations

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 20 (UNI) A series of security-related incidents at strategic defence, naval, shipbuilding and space establishments in Kerala has brought renewed attention to personnel verification, access control and surveillance at sensitive installations across the State.
The latest incident involves the arrest of a 32-year-old Bangladeshi national who allegedly worked for nearly a year as a temporary employee in the laundry section of the Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala in Kannur using forged Indian documents.
Police sources said the man was carrying a fake Aadhaar card in the name of Biplab Soren and had produced a Police Clearance Certificate purportedly issued by the Murshidabad police in West Bengal. Naval authorities reportedly became suspicious of his behaviour and, during questioning, found documents on his mobile phone indicating his Bangladeshi nationality. He was subsequently handed over to the Payyannur police for further investigation.
Police sources said the investigation was continuing to establish his identity, the circumstances under which he entered India and how he secured employment at the Naval Academy. Authorities have not indicated that he accessed classified information, and the precise nature of his duties inside the academy is also being examined.
The Ezhimala arrest came shortly after Kannur police arrested five Bangladeshi women who were allegedly staying and working in the district without valid travel documents and were suspected of using forged Indian identity documents. Police are examining how the women entered the country and obtained the documents.
However, no connection between the Ezhimala case and the arrests of the five women has been established by the investigating agencies so far.
The developments have nevertheless brought the verification of identity and antecedents of temporary, contract and outsourced personnel at sensitive establishments into focus, particularly where such workers may obtain access to restricted premises.
The Ezhimala case comes against the backdrop of other security-related incidents involving strategic establishments in Kerala.
At Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi, police launched an inquiry in June after the words "I Love Pakistan" were found etched on an internal wall of a vessel that had arrived at the shipyard for maintenance. The writing was reportedly noticed by employees engaged in maintenance work and appeared to have been made using a sharp object.
The CSL security wing conducted a preliminary inquiry before lodging a complaint with the police. Police sources said statements of employees involved in maintenance work were recorded and registers and other records were being examined to identify persons who had access to the vessel.
Reports also said there was no CCTV coverage in the area where the vessel was stationed, making it more difficult for investigators to establish when and by whom the inscription was made. Central agencies subsequently examined the case in view of the strategic importance of the shipyard.
CSL is a major shipbuilding and maintenance facility involved in the construction and maintenance of naval assets, including warships and aircraft carriers. However, the inscription by itself has not established an espionage operation or any compromise of classified information.
Another security-related incident was reported in Fort Kochi in March this year, when police booked two US nationals for allegedly operating a drone without permission in a high-security red zone near INS Dronacharya and the Coast Guard headquarters.
According to the FIR, the drone was operated near Chariot Junction and visuals were recorded in the vicinity of INS Dronacharya. Police said the two were not arrested but were served notices. The case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Aircraft Act and the Drone Rules.
Unauthorised drone activity has also emerged as a concern around Kerala's space establishments. On September 12, an unidentified drone was spotted in the vicinity of a power substation near the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba, following which the Thumba police and security agencies launched an investigation.
Investigators are attempting to identify the operator and establish the purpose of the flight. They are also examining the exact location and movement of the drone and whether it entered the VSSC premises or remained in the restricted airspace around the facility. There is no confirmed evidence so far that the drone penetrated a sensitive VSSC facility or that classified material was obtained.
The incident assumes significance in view of the existing restrictions around ISRO facilities. The Centre said in July 2025 that a no-drone zone had been declared within a two-kilometre radius of ISRO facilities in and around Thiruvananthapuram, including VSSC, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Valiyamala and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit at Vattiyoorkavu, besides the Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental Plant at Aluva in Ernakulam district.
The security concerns are not confined to physical access or aerial activity. In May 2025, a suspicious telephone call seeking information about sensitive naval assets triggered a security alert at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi. A 31-year-old man from Kozhikode was arrested in connection with the May 9 incident after the Navy's internal security mechanism flagged the call and intelligence agencies were alerted.
Taken together, the incidents involve different forms of security challenge — alleged use of forged identity documents to obtain employment at a naval academy, unauthorised drone operations near naval and space installations, an unexplained inscription inside a vessel at a strategic shipyard and an attempt to obtain information about naval assets through a telephone call.
The individual cases are at different stages of investigation and authorities have not publicly established any common conspiracy or coordinated operation linking them.
The Ezhimala case has particularly highlighted the importance of personnel and document verification at sensitive defence establishments. The drone incidents have drawn attention to unauthorised aerial activity around restricted naval and space facilities, while the Cochin Shipyard investigation has focused attention on access control and surveillance inside a facility handling major naval assets.
The cases therefore underline the continuing security challenges faced by strategic installations in Kerala, even as investigations are yet to establish whether any of the individual incidents involved access to classified information or caused a compromise of sensitive assets.
UNI DS
Tags: #Security concerns grow around Kerala’s key defence# space installations
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