Home Minister Parameshwara inaugurates ‘Special Action Force’ to combat communal tensions

MANGALURU: Home Minister G Parameshwara officially inaugurated the ‘Special Action Force’ (SAF) in Mangaluru on Friday. This move is aimed at combating escalating communal tensions in the region.

This specialised force has been established to proactively address and mitigate communal issues across the communally sensitive districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Shivamogga.

The formation of the SAF comes amidst growing concerns over recurrent communal flare-ups and hate crimes in these areas. The state government had issued an order for its establishment, with a clear mandate to monitor, prevent and respond swiftly to incidents that threaten peace and social harmony.

Comprising 248 highly trained personnel, including a senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) and a mix of other ranks such as Deputy Superintendents of Police, Inspectors, and Constables, the SAF has been primarily carved out from the existing Anti-Naxal Force (ANF). This reallocation of resources underscores the government’s determination to tackle communal violence with the same rigour applied to insurgency.

The SAF will operate through three dedicated companies, each strategically stationed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Shivamogga. Its operational headquarters is expected to be in Mangaluru.

While speaking to reporters, Minister G Parameshwara informed that this initiative marks the first time such a force has been constituted in India with the sole purpose of addressing communal tensions.

Minister Parameshwara further added that the special action force will have the authority to gather intelligence, take action against individuals who promote communal disharmony, and bring them justice. The force is expected to be proactive in addressing communal tensions and ensuring peace in the region.

Parameshwara told reporters, “It is the first time in India, a special action force has been constituted in Karnataka, with the sole intention or purpose of bringing about the communal harmony in these three districts, Dakshina Kannada district, Udupi district and Shimoga district. With the past observations, maybe 10 years or around, we have observed a lot of communal clashes, murders took place in these three districts, in large numbers. Many incidents have also happened. Considering all those things, the government thought that it was necessary to constitute some force to bring about a change and bring about harmony. That is why this special action force has been constituted. Probably it is the first of its kind in India.”

“They have been given the power to collect intelligence. They have been given the power to take action on those people who create communal disharmony. And they have been given the power to identify such people and bring them to book. It’s a special action force. It is a strike force. It becomes harsh for those people who create disharmony. It becomes peaceful, nice to look at for the people who don’t get involved in those activities. They will arrest, they will book the case. All those things are empowered”, he said.

After the incident in the Dakshina Kannada district, where a pickup driver was hacked to death in the Kolthamajal, and the Suhas Shetty murder case, who was associated with Bajrang Dal and the main accused in the Mohammed Fazil murder case of 2022., district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao had said that the state government planned to form an anti-communal task force to ensure action against those who indulge in communal activities. (ANI)