Tumakuru (Karnataka) [India], June 2 : Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has said the state government is setting up a new special force to prevent communal violence and ensure law and order in coastal districts like Mangaluru, Udupi, and Karwar.
Speaking to the media in Tumakuru, Parameshwara said the government has taken the recent murder in Mangaluru very seriously and has already started taking steps to strengthen security.
"A new Anti-Communal Force has been announced, similar to the Anti-Naxal Force," he said. "Orders have been issued and preparations are ongoing. The team will be ready and deployed in 10 to 15 days," he said.
This new force will be sent to three coastal districts in the first phase. It will include officers like SPs, Deputy SPs, inspectors, and other staff, selected from different areas. Special training for this force will be provided in Karkala, following the model used for Anti-Naxal teams.
Parameshwara stressed that the force is not aimed at any one community. "Whether Hindu or Muslim, action will be taken only if someone breaks the law," he said. "No one will be spared if they do something wrong."
He added that the government is serious about improving law and order and will not allow any more such crimes.
Referring to the recent daylight murder in Koppal, he said that the police have already caught the accused. "These are rare incidents. We are dealing with them firmly. Overall, the law and order situation in Karnataka is good," he said, citing a study by the University of Hyderabad which ranked Karnataka as one of the safer states.
"District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao visited the area after the incident. I had also personally visited the site of an earlier murder," the Home Minister said.
According to Parameshwara, crime in the state has gone down compared to last year, and the government will continue taking strict action to maintain peace.