TN to set up Anti-Terrorism Squad at cost of Rs 57.51 crore

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Home Department is in the process of constituting an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in the state and an amount of Rs 57.51 crore has been earmarked for it.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had announced that an ATS would be constituted in Tamil Nadu immediately after the October 2022 car blast in which a person was charred to death.

The killed man, Jameesha Mubin, 28, was a lone wolf and had planned a major terror attack on Deepavali eve in Coimbatore but his lack of knowledge in handling explosives led to the blast taking place before the designated time, causing minimal damage.

The Tamil Nadu Home Department is sourcing personnel for the force from the state police force and efficient officers who are interested to work in ATS have been short-listed. The department is also focusing on districts and cities from where terror activities were reported and would also take into account the inputs of the state and central intelligence departments.

Sources in the police told IANS that Madurai, Coimbatore, and Chennai will be given importance in setting up the ATS units.

The ATS will be constituted on the lines of Thunderbolt force in Kerala, OCTOPUS (Organisation for Counter Terrorism Operations) in Andhra Pradesh, and other similar ATS organisations. The Tamil Nadu Home Department will also take a cue from the National Security Guard (NSG) before constituting the ATS.

Inputs from the functioning of ATS in the northeastern states and also North Indian states would be taken into account before the constitution of the ATS in Tamil Nadu.