Days after Suhas Shetty murder, government plans expansion of anti-communal force in state
The force, initially announced for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, will have the authority to intervene independently while working in close coordination with local law enforcement.
The state government will soon expand its soon-to-be-launched anti-communal force beyond the coastal districts to other regions witnessing communal tensions, home minister G Parameshwara said on Wednesday.
The force, initially announced for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, is expected to be operational in the coming weeks and will have the authority to intervene independently while working in close coordination with local law enforcement.
“I had asked the Director General of Police to send a proposal in this regard, and I am told that they have sent the proposal. We will examine it and approve it at the government level. Initially, I announced it for two districts, now we may extend it to any districts where there are communal issues,” Parameshwara said.
The task force is being created along the lines of the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF), which was set up in the past to tackle Maoist activities. With the ANF now being gradually scaled down due to declining insurgent activity, some of its personnel will be redeployed into the new anti-communal unit, the minister said. The force will be headed by a senior officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police or above and is intended to function as a specialised unit equipped to manage hate-driven violence.
“In the government, we have taken a decision to constitute an anti-communal force within the police department. Earlier, when the Maoist activities were there, we created an anti-Naxal force, on the same lines, we want to create an anti-communal force, just to see that the society is peaceful,” the home minister said.
The announcement follows the murder of Suhas Shetty on May 1 near the Bajpe bus stand in Mangaluru. Shetty was the main accused in the 2022 killing of Mohammed Fazil in Surathkal — a murder widely believed to be a retaliatory act following the killing of BJP youth wing member Praveen Nettaru. The Mangaluru city Crime Branch have arrested three men in connection with the murder.
The accused, identified as Azaruddin alias Azar alias Ajju (29), Abdul Khader alias Noufal (24) and Vamanjoor Noushad alias Chotte Noushad (39), were arrested during the last two days, police said.
With the fresh arrests, a total of 11 people have been arrested in connection with the murder so far, police said.
The Congress government, soon after coming to power in 2023, had formed an Anti-Communal Wing (ACW) in Mangaluru to tackle rising cases of moral policing and hate crimes. The establishment of the anti-communal force is seen as a larger, more structured extension of that effort, and could eventually replace or absorb the ACW framework as it scales across districts.
Asked whether the new force will handle moral policing cases, the home minister clarified that only incidents with communal undertones would come under its purview.
“If it is just a social problem, regular police will look into it. If it is communal in nature or ends up in communal issues, then we will definitely entrust it to an anti-communal force,” he said. The task force will not only act on its own intelligence but will also rely on coordination with local police units to track and intervene in sensitive areas, he said.
With PTI inputs
