BHOPAL: A dedicated state-of-the-art counter terrorist group (CTG) training centre will be established by the Madhya Pradesh Police on the outskirts of the state capital, Bhopal.
The central Indian state’s CM Dr Mohan Yadav made the crucial announcement after witnessing the National Security Guard (NSG) show and inaugurating the joint Integrated Capacity Building Training and Demonstration organised by the NSG for Madhya Pradesh Police personnel at Bhopal’s Lal Parade Ground on Monday.
“A state-of-the-art counter CTG training centre will be established in Tumda village on Bhopal’s outskirts, for comprehensive training for effectively countering terrorist attacks. A detailed project report (DPR) of Rs 200 crore has been prepared for the modernisation of the CTG, and work will start on it soon,” the CM said.
The CM added that through the planned centre, the state’s police force will be fully prepared to tackle any emergency disaster and extremist threat. Owing to the state's central location within the country, the centre will play a seminal role in overall strengthening of national security.
According to sources privy to the details of the planned modern CTG training centre, it will come up on the lines of the National Security Guard (NSG) training centre in Manesar (Haryana) and the Greyhound (elite anti-Maoist police) training centres in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana.
Teams of MP Police have already conducted detailed visits to those training centres of the elite forces.
“The CTG training centre will particularly train the MP police’s anti-terror squad (STS), special task force (STF) and Special Armed Force (SAF) quick reaction teams (QRTs) and commandos, besides special units of various district police forces. Further, the training facilities may be extended to specialized units of police force from other states also,” a senior state police officer told TNIE.
The new CTG training centre will particularly focus on preparing the state police’s crack teams in dealing with the rising threat of urban insurgency and extremism, besides lone wolf attackers.
Once operational, the centre will also reduce the over-dependence of the state police for training its crack CTG personnel at the NSG training centre in Manesar.
Importantly, while MP has largely been seen as an “Island of Peace,” the busting of major modules of international terrorist outfits, like the Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in Bhopal and adjoining areas in recent years, has underscored the need for making the MP police more equipped to deal with the rising threat of terrorism.
Addressing Monday’s spectacular event in Bhopal, the MP DGP Kailash Makwana said the joint training programme of the NSG and Madhya Pradesh Police will continue for nearly a month, from April 7 to May 4.
During this period, personnel will receive training on about eight key subjects, including counter-attack operations. Police personnel will undergo training to deal with counter-terrorist attacks and enhance their skills, expertise, and techniques. “We are preparing ourselves to meet new challenges. The state’s ATS and STF are functioning at full capacity, while security units are providing vigilant protection to VVIPs and VIPs.”
The NSG Director General B Srinivasan said that the ATS and CTG of Madhya Pradesh are rendering commendable services. He informed that 1,164 personnel of the Madhya Pradesh Police and nearly 26,000 personnel across the country have been trained so far at the NSG. The NSG is continuously introducing innovations and improvements in its training programmes to enhance the skills of personnel.