Yogi to lay foundation stone of ATS training centre

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will lay the foundation stone of the much-awaited Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) commando training centre in Saharanpur on Tuesday.

The move will amplify BJP's focus on nationalism, ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls.

 The training centre will come up in Deoband which also houses the famous Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom.

 Spread over 2,000 square metres, the centre will train around 100 commandos who will keep a hawk-eyed vigil in the communally sensitive west part of the state. It will also have at least 15 IPS officers on duty.

 The Uttar Pradesh government plans to set up similar ATS centres at other places also, including Meerut, Bahraich, Shravasti, and Gautam Buddha Nagar.

 "It is a crucial project for the security of the region and for strengthening the feeling of nationalism amongst people. This will be the second key project in the district, after Ma Shakumbhari Devi University, for which the foundation stone was laid  by Union Home Minister Amit Shah last month," said a government spokesman.

 The BJP had won four seats -- Deoband, Gangoh, Rampur Maniharan (SC) and Nakur -- out of seven in the 2017 Assembly polls.

 Saharanpur (Dehat) and Behat were won by the Congress while the Samajwadi Party had won Saharanpur (city) seat.