Anti-terror commando force for Karnataka in 15 days

Karnataka will get its own anti-terror commando force to tackle any eventuality on the terrorism front in the state. The proposed force is expected to be operational in another 15 days.

“We are not waiting for the central government to send commando forces to the state. Nowadays, terror and naxal activities are spreading alarmingly and underworld activities are also on the rise. So, we decided to set up a commando force consisting of 300 men who are being trained now. Within the next fortnight, we will exhibit their strength before the public,” said home minister R Ashoka.

Making the announcement on the second anniversary of 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the home minister said that the 300 personnel were being given advanced training to tackle terrorist attacks. He, however, did not elaborate on the details.

Karnataka, particularly Bangalore is on the terrorists’ hitlist, but the city is not equipped to tackle any attack as the police are not trained to handle such situations. Besides Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli and Belgaum are also sensitive, the minister said.

Also, to enhance training skills of the police force, the government has decided to set up two training centres in north Karnataka, Ashoka said. He further said, “To streamline the police recruitment system, we will introduce a transparent policy. Every time we want to recruit police personnel, we have to take permission from the finance department. The process gets delayed. So we will take prior permission from the finance department and go ahead with the appointments. Such mechanism will be evolved in the new policy,” he said.