The Haryana government has raised a specialised anti-terrorism squad (ATS) for combating terrorism and investigate terror related offences.
As per two notifications issued on June 10 by additional chief secretary (ACS), home, Sudhir Rajpal, the ATS will function as a specialised agency under the crime investigation department (CID) and will be headed by an officer not below the rank of inspector general of police. The officer heading the ATS will report to the director general of police through the head of the CID. The ATS will be headquartered at Panchkula.
The state government has also declared the creation of two dedicated ATS police stations at Panchkula and Gurugram for investigating terror-related offences.
The Panchkula ATS police station will have jurisdiction over Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, Kaithal, Hisar, Hansi, Fatehabad, Jind, Sirsa, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri districts. The Gurugram ATS police station will cover Sonepat, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Nuh, Rewari and Mahendergarh districts.
A police spokesperson said the ATS will be entrusted with a comprehensive range of functions, including the response to terrorist incidents and threats, the investigation and prosecution of terrorism-related cases, the collection, processing, and dissemination of actionable intelligence, and inter-agency operational coordination. These functions also include maintaining terrorism-related databases, as well as the research and analysis of relevant data.
Director general of police Ajay Singhal said that through modern technology, specialised training, a robust intelligence apparatus, and seamless inter-agency coordination, the ATS will conduct effective operations against terrorism, radicalisation, and organised terrorist networks.
The spokesperson said the organisational structure of ATS has been designed on a multi-tiered architecture to address the full spectrum of modern security challenges. A specially trained commando force, modelled on the lines of the national security guards (NSG), will be embedded within the ATS to carry out rapid-response operations and execute sensitive missions.
An intelligence and operations branch will be responsible for identifying and conducting surveillance. The ATS police stations will house integrated legal, financial investigation, and forensic units under one roof.
“A cyber and technical intelligence unit will monitor open-source intelligence, the dark web, and suspicious digital activities, while the data analysis and interception unit will collect and evaluate intelligence through advanced analytical systems. A de-radicalisation unit will run community awareness and rehabilitation programmes to shield youth from extremist ideologies. A training and research wing will conduct periodic skill upgradation and development of standard operating procedures to keep them equipped to tackle counter-terrorism challenges,’’ the spokesperson said.
