The Kerala Directorate of Technical Education has ordered government technical educational institutions in the state to monitor their laboratories, following a report by the ADGP (Intelligence) that weapons were being manufactured under the guise of lab studies at these institutions, as per The New Indian Express.

On January 8, the director in charge, TP Baiju Bhai, issued an order to all heads of government technical educational institutions in the state, instructing them to implement strict monitoring of all labs. The order also stated that teachers and lab staff should ensure that no activities related to weapon-making are permitted in the labs.

According to TNIE, the preliminary investigation into allegations of weapons manufacturing at the Dhanuvachapuram ITI lab in the Thiruvananthapuram district was launched following a complaint. The investigation resulted in a police report submitted to the state government on December 21, 2022, which stated that ADGP found that weapon manufacturing was taking place under the guise of lab studies at technical education labs across the state.

This is a major concern, as it has put public safety and security at risk, said the report. It goes on to add that these labs are also being used to manufacture illegal arms and ammunition, which can be used for criminal activities. "The government needs to take stringent measures to ensure that such activities do not take place in technical education labs. It should also introduce strict regulations and guidelines for the use of technical education labs so that they are only used for legitimate purposes such as research and development. Moreover, there should be regular monitoring and surveillance of these labs to prevent any illegal activities from taking place," the report stated.