Karnataka to deploy Special Action Force to tackle rising communal clashes

The Karnataka government is set to deploy a Special Force in coastal and Malnad districts to curb communal violence. The move is aimed at curbing the increasing communal tensions in coastal and Malnad districts.

This marks a significant step by the government toward maintaining peace and law and order in coastal regions like Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, which have long been prone to communal unrest.

In these areas, incidents of communal killings, hate speeches, and violence continue to recur, adversely affecting both development and governance. Given this backdrop, here’s how the new force will operate and how personnel will be appointed.

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Structure: Three Companies of the Special Force

The newly formed Special Action Force will comprise three companies, which will be deployed in Udupi, Shivamogga, and Dakshina Kannada districts.

These units will collect intelligence on communal incidents within their respective jurisdictions and work proactively to prevent such events.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Force

The force will monitor hate speeches, provocative incidents, and communal clashes reported in the media or gathered from intelligence sources. There will be constant surveillance on potential communal violence, with alerts issued based on intelligence inputs.

Measures will be taken to identify and monitor radical elements during communal flare-ups. Range IGPs will deploy officers and staff from the special force as needed.

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Deployment of Anti-Naxal Force Personnel

The government has ordered that personnel for the Special Action Force be drawn from the currently serving staff of the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF). The ANF currently has 656 officers and personnel at various ranks (excluding BDA and BMICPA units).

From other task forces, such as the one preventing illegal constructions in Bengaluru, and various police stations in Pandavapura and Nagamangala, a total of 248 officers and staff of varying ranks will be reassigned to this new force.

The remaining 376 ANF personnel will continue in service for the next three years, given intelligence reports indicating that some Naxal elements from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are relocating to border areas of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

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Who Will Be in the Special Force?

As per the order issued by KN Vanaja, Under Secretary in the Home Department, the Special Action Force will include one DIGP, one DySP (Civil), one assistant commandant, four inspectors/Reserve Police Inspectors. It will also have 16 PSIs/RSIs/Sis, 60 CHCs, 150 CPCs/APCs and 15 attenders.

(The story was originally published in The Federal Karnataka)