Andra Terrorist police squad with 13,000 personnel

HYDERABAD :The State government has earmarked Rs 300 crores to set up an anti-terrorist squad of 13,000 police personnel. The squad will comprise the cream of the cadre, with personnel picked from various wings of the police department, and 4,000 direct recruits and will be given specialised training in anti-terrorist operations and intelligence gathering.

Home minister K. Jana Reddy held a high level meeting with police top brass on Thursday at which the decision to establish the squad was taken.
Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy had decided to set up an anti-terrorist squad, special intelligence unit and counter-terror cell in the State after the August 25 twin blasts at Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat Bhandar.

A committee of senior police officers will be constituted to give shape to the anti-terrorist squad and the other proposed units. The ATS would be on the lines of the specialised Greyhounds set up for anti-Naxal operations two decades ago.

The Greyhound commandos proved their mettle against Naxals in most parts of the State.

At present, States such as Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Karnataka have anti-terrorist squads. After the May 18 blast in Mecca Masjid and the recent twin blasts in the city, the police found sleeper terror cells in Bidar, Raichur and Gulbarga in Karnataka, Aurangabad and Nanded in Maharashtra, and Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Medak and Nizamabad in Andhra Pradesh.

The home minister said that the State government would counter terrorism with an iron hand and would provide all the necessary men and material to protect the lives and properties of the people in the State.

Andra cafe