Action force to curb communal unrest; 3 held for Bantwal murder

Bengaluru/Mangaluru: The Karnataka government has issued an order to form a special action force to tackle communal incidents with immediate effect. This force, comprising personnel from the Anti-Naxal Force, will have three companies  and will be established in Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga and Udupi districts.

The development comes close on the heels of two murders in Dakshina Kannada within a month, including that of Abdul Rahim on Tuesday. The police have arrested three youth in connection with Rahim’s killing.

The arrested youth have been identified as Deepak (21), Prithviraj (21) and Chintan (19), all residents of Bantwal taluk. The trio was directly involved in the murder, police sources said.

Dakshina Kannada SP Yatish N said Deepak had contacted Rahim over phone and asked him to supply sand on May 27. When Rahim was unloading sand, he was attacked with swords by two men. The SP said two other suspects were still at large and a search was on to nab them. 

The SP added that five special teams had been formed to trace the suspects. 

Earlier this month, the district was rocked by the murder of Hindu activist and rowdy-sheeter Suhas Shetty.

With the coastal district simmering with communal tension over the two murders, the state government has allotted a sizeable chunk of the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) to form the new special action force.

DH accessed a copy of the order issued on May 28. As per the order, 248 personnel, including a senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), will be a part of this force.

The appointed DIGP-rank officer will head the force. The 248 personnel have been allotted from the ANF with an issued strength of 656. At the same time, the remaining 376 posts will be kept with the ANF for another three years, the order noted.

The special action force will have five roles: To have an intelligence unit comprising a technical cell to collect and monitor media and social media and intelligence information of hate speech, inflammatory incidents and communal incidents; to create an early warning system through surveillance and human intelligence on potential communal violence; to undertake confidence-building measures through area dominance exercises; to take measures to identify and monitor radicalisation and to take steps to deploy special task force officers/personnel by the zonal IGP in cases of communal violence.

Reacting to the development, Home Minister G Parameshwara said to ensure peace and communal harmony, he has also directed the officers in the districts to hold peace meetings with community leaders.

“The order has been issued to immediately set up and enforce the special action force. Necessary help and aid will be provided and needed steps will be taken by the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP). The three districts are considered very sensitive. Anyone who incites communal violence won’t be spared, and action will be initiated against them as per the law,” Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru on Thursday.

“It (Dakshina Kannada) is a district with intelligent, good and educated people. In terms of growth, too, there are a lot of opportunities there. We believe that we will put an end to communal incidents there,” he added.