Kasaragod: Reporter: There is a long-pending demand for a police station at Paivalike. One of the main concerns is the Hosangadi railway level crossing. Since Manjeshwar police station is located on the other side of the railway gate, officers often take a long time to reach Paivalike when a crime occurs there.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala: "The gates are not closed all the time. They will open."

The minister's response drew laughter at a press conference in Kasaragod on July 27. But for police officers who have spent years policing Kerala's northernmost border villages, the issue is no laughing matter.

In most parts of Kasaragod district, police patrols reach emergency scenes within five to six minutes, a response time that was ranked the best in Kerala until 2025. In Paivalike, however, officers from Manjeshwar police station take 30 to 35 minutes to reach some locations, said an IPS officer familiar with the area. "That is if the railway gate is open. God forbid if the railway gate is closed, it takes 40-45 minutes to reach there."

Police officers describe Paivalike as one of the most crime-prone pockets in Kasaragod district, citing the presence of organised criminal networks involved in activities ranging from gold smuggling and drug trafficking to illegal mining of laterite stone, earth, sand and granite. The border region has also witnessed gang rivalries and remains vulnerable to communal flare-ups. "You only have to look at some of the murders that have taken place here to understand how gangs fought for territorial dominance," said an IPS officer.

Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf said the area's proximity to Karnataka has long posed unique policing challenges. "Criminal gangs, including those operating from across the Karnataka border, routinely create law-and-order problems in the region. There have also been instances of offenders fleeing into Karnataka after committing crimes here," said Ashraf, who has petitioned the government to set up a police station at Paivalike.

Senior police officers said they had petitioned the government at least five times. In January 2024, the state police chief also gave a proposal to the state government for the same. But the government has not given its nod.

"When deciding whether to sanction a new police station, we consider several factors, including the number of cases, the geographical area and the population. A decision must be taken based on these criteria," said Chennithala, when pressed.

But another IPS officer who served in the district said "Paivalike ticks all the boxes" for a police station.

Vast areas to cover
Kasaragod district shares a 130-km-long border with Karnataka, with border police stations at Adhur, Badiadka, Chittarikkal, Vellarikundu, Kumbla and Manjeshwar. Paivalike sits at Kerala's northern edge, sharing a long and porous border with Karnataka. Manjeshwar police station, in the coastal area, has jurisdiction over Manjeshwar, Vorkady and Meenja panchayats and parts of Paivalike and Mangalpady panchayats, spread across 25 revenue villages.

In contrast, Adhur police station, another border station in the district, has only seven revenue villages to cover. Even larger stations such as Badiadka have only 12 revenue villages to cover.

Being a border region brings its unique challenges. Police officers familiar with the region say Bayar town in Paivalike serves as a key transit point as several roads from Karnataka converge before entering Kerala.

The border itself is irregular and difficult to monitor. The area is known for laterite and granite mining. "When Geology officials inspect the area, they are confused where Kerala ends and where Karnataka begins," said an officer posted at Manjeshwar station.

During elections, security deployment in the area is often higher than in many other parts of the district. Additional personnel, including Border Security Force units and striker parties, have been deployed in the region during sensitive polling periods.

The proposal
Police officers familiar with the proposal said the plan is to carve out portions of both Manjeshwar and Kumbla station limits and set up Paivalike police station. Around 30 cents of land has already been identified in Paivalike for the station.

The required manpower could be arranged through redeployment, said the MLA.

"If the government approves a new police station, it will come up at Paivalike. If the approval is for an outpost, it will come up at Bayyar," a top officer said. For now, the police are beating the distance by stationing a patrol vehicle at Paivalike. "We have four officers stationed in a control room vehicle round the clock, and they can reach most places in and around Paivalike within four to five minutes," the officer said.

The arrangement has helped improve emergency response in the sensitive panchayat, but officers describe it as a stopgap measure rather than a substitute for a full-fledged police station.

For the record, the best response time badge is now with Thrissur Rural and Thrissur City Police. "They beat Kasaragod by improving their response time to five minutes," said the IPS officer.

The gap between that five-minute response and Paivalike's 45-minute wait, officers said, is precisely why the border panchayat needs its own police station.