Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara receives guard of honour on his arrival at Mangaluru commissionerate office in Mangaluru.
Credit: DH photo
Mangaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara announced on Saturday that a anti-communal task force will be established to address and mitigate communal disturbances in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
This specialised unit will be modelled along the lines of the existing Anti-Naxal Force (ANF).
Addressing the media following a high-level review meeting held at the Police Commissionerate office in Mangaluru, the minister stated that the proposed task force will function in close coordination with the local law enforcement agencies.
“Individuals involved in instigating communal violence or those supporting such divisive activities will be firmly dealt with by this task force,” he said.
He emphasised that this will be a specialised unit exclusively designated for the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi regions, with the primary objective of safeguarding communal harmony and public peace.
Senior officers holding the rank of Inspector General of Police (IGP) and above will be entrusted with the leadership and supervision of this force.
The force will be vested with powers as per the law. The structure, staffing, and operational details of the task force will be finalised shortly, he added.
Parameshwara also noted that the activities of the Anti-Naxal Force has gradually scaled down, considering no Naxalite activities has been reported from the state.
However, the ANF will not be entirely disbanded. Instead, its trained personnel, along with other officers, will be integrated into the new anti-communal task force.
In response to a query regarding the previously formed Anti-Communal Wing, which was tasked with handling incidents of moral policing, the minister clarified that the wing was set up utilising the existing police personnel.