Indian Army, Maharashtra police conduct joint anti-terror exercise in Pune

The Indian Army and Maharashtra Police carried out a joint anti-terror exercise in Pune last week.

The exercise was carried out on October 9 at Lullanagar in Pune, according to a Ministry of Defence press statement issued here on Tuesday.

The aim of the exercise was to harmonize the drills and procedures of both Army and Police for activating anti-terrorist Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) to counter any terrorist actions in Pune.

The exercise involved the participation of QRTs, Dog Squads and Bomb Disposal Teams of the Army as well as Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and QRTs of Maharashtra Police.

A simulated exercise scenario was built up regarding the presence of terrorists in family accommodations at Lullanagar, based on which Quick Reaction Teams of Army initially established the outer cordon.

Traffic control on the nearby roads was jointly carried out by Maharashtra traffic police and the Corps of Military Police Army.

Joint action was thereafter carried out by the Army’s Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) and the Quick Reaction Team of the Maharashtra Police to neutralize terrorists, it involved room intervention drill, a search of room for any unidentified items/explosives by Dog squads and their neutralization/ diffusion by Bomb Disposal Units.

An equipment display was also organised, showcasing important equipment required for the conduct of this exercise. The exercise was carried out taking all safety norms of Covid-19 into consideration and the strength of participating troops was scaled down accordingly.

“The exercise provided an opportunity for both Army and Police to cooperate, coordinate, coopt and streamline their drills and procedures,” the release stated.