The Haryana government has set up an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), a specialised unit under the Crime Investigation Department (CID), to tackle terrorism-related threats and strengthen security across the state.
According to a government notification, the new unit has been created to improve the police force's ability to prevent, investigate and respond to terrorism-related activities.
The ATS will be led by an officer of at least Inspector General of Police (IGP) rank. The officer will report to the Director General of Police through the head of the CID. The headquarters of the new Anti-Terrorism Squad will be located in Panchkula, as per a notification issued by the Home Department on June 10.
The government has also established two dedicated ATS police stations in Panchkula and Gurugram. These stations will handle investigations into terrorism-related cases across Haryana.
The ATS police station in Panchkula will cover Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, Kaithal, Hisar, Hansi, Fatehabad, Jind, Sirsa, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri districts.
Meanwhile, the Gurugram ATS police station will have jurisdiction over Sonipat, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Nuh, Rewari and Mahendragarh districts.
Last month, Haryana Director General of Police Ajay Singhal had indicated that the ATS was expected to become operational from June.
Earlier, during his Budget speech in the state Assembly in March, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced the formation of the ATS to strengthen efforts against terrorism and improve preventive measures.
The decision came months after security agencies uncovered an alleged white-collar terror module in Faridabad last year, highlighting the need for a specialised anti-terror unit in the state.
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