Haryana's ATS Set to Debut as High-Tech Guardian Against Terror

Haryana's Ajay Singhal on Tuesday announced that the state's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) is likely to start operations from June 1 and will be headed by an IG-rank officer.

''For all terror-related cases, this will be a specialised, trained and well-equipped force which will work according to Union Ministry of Home guidelines,'' he said.

'We are setting up one ATS police station in Panchkula and another one in Gurugram. They will handle all the terror-related cases. In the past, these cases were dealt with by the state's special task force and district police,' the DGP said at a news conference at state police headquarters in Panchkula.

Singhal said the ATS will also have two to three SP-rank officers.

Earlier in March, during his budget speech, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced that ATS will be constituted to deal with and prevent terrorist activities.

'Provisions will also be made for the inclusion of women commandos in the ATS,' Saini had said. The chief minister's announcement came close on the heels of a white-collar terror module being busted in Faridabad last year.

Talking about tackling heatwave while carrying out duty, the DGP said a constable died on duty at a checkpost in Fatehabad.

Singhal said 200 check posts in the state are working around the clock, and those on duty are being provided coolers and a liquid diet to stay hydrated.

He said the police department has withdrawn employees aged above 45 from checkpost duty in light of the heatwave.

'From a health point of view, we are already taking steps. We are also paying attention towards their mental health,' he said.

The DGP, while touching upon the 'Crime in India 2024' report released by the National Crime Records Bureau, said the state ranks fourth in crime rate under IPC/BNS and fifth under special local laws, and pointed out that this was largely because of 40,000 to 50,000 FIRs filed in power theft cases.

He said police in other states only make a ''DD entry'' (daily diary entry) in power theft cases, which doesn't reflect in the crime-related statistics.

If we were to take out the power theft cases, we would be at the ninth spot then,'' he said.

Singhal claimed that Haryana's crime situation is better than that of other states, and added that there has been a fall in crime rate in the state in the last four years.

He also said that all murder cases registered recently have been solved.

On the police encounters, the DGP denied accusations of police deliberately opening fire at the criminals.

Singhal further said that more than 70 encounters took place in the last five months.

'In a few cases, bulletproof jackets saved them,' he said.

The DGP also said that Haryana Police's 'Abhedya' app has emerged as a strong technological tool to effectively curb threatening calls originating from international numbers.

The app instantly blocks and deletes suspicious international voice calls, messages, photos, videos, and voice notes before they reach the user, forcing criminals to rely on local numbers, thereby making it easier for the police to track them, according to the police.

Police have been taking action against gangsters, and those who fled abroad have been deported.

Talking about Nuh emerging as a hotspot of cyber-related crimes, Singhal said the police have been running operations there at different times. Replying to a question on the drug issue, the DGP said it is a matter of concern and constant efforts are being made to ensure that youth are kept away from the scourge.

'We have formed special teams and put extra force under the Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau to take action against drug traffickers,' he said.

Action has also been taken against as many as 150 people who have been detained under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)