Karnataka to get anti terrorism squad, says home minister Basavaraj Bommai

Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai has announced that a special anti-terror squad will be set up in Bengaluru. This in a bid to counter terror activities. The ATS will work in tandem with Bengaluru police and will be similar to units set up in in other metro cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.  

Bengaluru: Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai has stated that a special anti-terrorist squad (ATS) will be set up in Bengaluru to counter terror activities.

"There was a plan to have an ATS specifically for Bengaluru due to its size and population. We want experienced and good officials and we will provide all the latest technology for them. We have taken note of previous incidents,” Basavaraj Bommai said. 

The ATS will work in tandem with Bengaluru police and will be similar to units set up in in other metro cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai to curb criminal and terror activities in the city. 

The home minister’s announcement comes after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had on Monday highlighted the presence of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in several states, including Karnataka. 

Earlier in September, the NIA said that a group of JMB terrorists had taken shelter at various hideouts in southern India which included places on the outskirts of Bengaluru to further the activities of the terror group after the 2014 Burdwan blast. 

The NIA had mentioned they had received information about hideouts in Attibele, Kadugodi, K.R. Puram, Chikkbanavara and Shikaripalya, Electronic City in Bengaluru.