Anti-Narcotics Task Force Formation in Karnataka: The Karnataka government has ordered the formation of an anti-intoxicating work force (ATF) to increase its efforts against narcotic crimes in the state. According to an official order issued on 1 August, the newly formed ANTF unit will work under the overall supervision of the Director General of Police (DGP) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the team will report to the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) of the cyber command.
This unit of AntF will have 10 newly formed posts, including two Additional Superintendents of Police (ASP) and two Assistant Police Commissioners (ACP) to monitor cases related to drugs. In addition, 56 posts of anti-Naxal force (ANF) will be re-allocated to the anti-drug dedication force, including two police inspectors and four police sub-inspectors.
The unit will also appoint experts on outsourced basis including forensic and legal experts, and data analysts. The order also said that the government has already established a cyber crime prevention unit (ATF) in Karnataka and has changed the name of 43 cyber, economic and narcotics (CEN) police stations of the state to cyber crime police station.
These police stations have been directed to register cases under the Information Technology (IT) Act and Computer related and BNS sections related to cyber offenses. It says that now they do not have the right to register cases of narcotics and economic crimes.
ANTF is being established with an estimated recurring annual expenditure of about Rs 2.77 crore for new sanctioned posts. Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister Ji Parmeshwar said that the ANTF formed to eliminate the threat of drugs in the state will act as a task force.
The Home Minister told reporters, ‘They take action on the basis of wherever they get information. We have already given specific instructions to every Superintendent of Police. He said that to make it even stronger, ANF personnel have been transferred to ANTF.
He further said, ‘We have announced that there is no Naxalite in Karnataka. In this context, there was a discussion on dissolving ANF. However, we decided to maintain it and reduce the number of personnel. About 200 to 250 personnel from ANF were sent in special action force. We took him to South Kannada and Udupi districts. Now, since there was a shortage of employees in Bengaluru, some personnel were sent from ANF. If needed again, we will re -deploy the personnel.
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