Date:22/02/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/02/22/stories/2004022201640600.htm

Karnataka

Anti-terrorist force set up

By B.S. Ramesh

BANGALORE, FEB. 21. Karnataka has formally set up an elite commando police force to deal exclusively with terrorist attacks and other anti-national activities.

Highly-placed sources in the State Government told The Hindu on Saturday that a Government Order constituting the commando force was issued three weeks ago. However, the police top brass had already recruited the existing police personnel to the force and giving them training, sources said. While the force would be part of the police network, its personnel would be imparted combat skills by paramilitary agencies such as the Border Security Force (BSF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the National Security Guard (NSG). The expertise of other agencies would be utilised to train the commandos in various aspects of anti-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations, sources said. They said the need for setting up such a force was first felt when some Tamil extremists were gunned down by the Tamil Nadu commando force at Mathikere.