Mangaluru (Karnataka), June 13 (IANS) The Karnataka government has officially inaugurated a Special Action Force (SAF) unit, the Communal Violence Control Force, in Mangaluru, aimed at preventing communal strife and serial revenge killings in coastal Karnataka and Malnad (hilly) regions of the state, thereby ensuring law and order.

State Home Minister G. Parameshwara inaugurated the unit on Friday at the District Police Parade Ground in Mangaluru. Several dignitaries and police officers attended the event.

The Congress-led government created this special force following incidents of revenge killings, mob lynching, and a series of stabbing incidents in the Mangaluru region. These crimes threatened the law and order system in the communally sensitive Mangaluru district.

The entire coastal region had become tense, and these incidents threatened to disrupt peace in the state.

Speaking after inaugurating the Special Action Force, HM Parameshwara stated that the SAF is necessary in Mangaluru, Udupi, and Shivamogga districts.

HM Parameshwara acknowledged that many might criticise this task force but emphasised that peace in Mangaluru district would translate into peace across the entire state.

He urged the people of the district to cooperate with the work of this task force and also mentioned that, if necessary, this task force would be established across the entire state.

This unit has been formed with the objective of conducting rapid operations in communally sensitive areas. A total of 248 police personnel have been deployed in this unit, and the team will be divided into three companies.

Speaker U.T. Khader, who represents the Ullal Assembly seat in Mangaluru, District In-charge Minister of Mangaluru, Dinesh Gundu Rao, who also serves as the Health Minister, and other dignitaries were present.

The Congress-led government in Karnataka has decided to launch the Communal Violence Control Force — a specialised unit — in a bid to curb and control communal strife resulting in a series of revenge killings in the state’s Mangaluru, Udupi and Shivamogga districts.

The government has also announced that the personnel serving in the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) will be reassigned to the Communal Violence Control Force.

The government order released on May 29 in this regard states, among the total available total 648 posts in the ANF, 248 officers and staff are shortlisted to establish the SAF.

The order states: “The new SAF will have three companies and they will be established in Udupi, Shivamogga and Mangaluru districts. The functions and responsibilities of this force include establishing an Intelligence unit with a technical cell to monitor and collect information from the media, social media, and Intelligence sources regarding hate speech, provocative incidents, and communal-related activities.

“To create an alert system for potential communal violence through surveillance and human Intelligence; to undertake confidence-building measures through effective outreach and influence; to implement measures to identify and monitor radicalisation.”

The IGP of the zone will take the necessary steps to deploy Special Task Force officers/personnel during instances of communal riots, it says.

–IANS

mka/rad