The Centre has said crackdown on Maoists in Bihar would continue, even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appealed to the rebels to shun violence and join the mainstream.

“The ongoing operations against Naxals in Bihar will continue,” Union Home Secretary G K Pillai told reporters in Kollam on Monday.

Earlier in the day, after the release of three policemen abducted by Naxals, Kumar told reporters in Patna, “We welcome you to join the mainstream of the society, contest elections to form the government you desire. Violence will not resolve your grievances.”

Pillai also said intelligence reports had said Maoists were active in Kerala but it had not developed into a major threat and the state police could manage the situation.

To a query, he said there were intelligence reports about LeT threat in the coastal regions of Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat.