HYDERABAD: The anti-terror wing -- Octopus (Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations) has virtually been left without tentacles.
Octopus -- which has always been in news ever since its birth in the year 2007 -- now stands divided -- its Intelligence wing will now be part of the Counter-Intelligence Cell (CI Cell) while its Commando force is being named as Octopus.
The Chief Minister took this decision at a review meeting with senior police officials today. Sources told Express that the Chief Minister had recently suggested that both Octopus and CI cell be merged but without the commando force (of Octopus).
“Over 250 commandos, which were to be part of the operational wing of Octopus, completed their training recently.
Once the the Intelligence wing of Octopus is merged with CI Cell and the Commandos named Octopus, the very purpose of why Octopus was formed is over,’’ officials remarked.
Octopus was formed soon after twin bomb blasts rocked the city which claimed over 50 lives. However, due to ego clashes between a few police officials over who would control Octopus, the organisation never took off as no manpower nor any other infrastructure was provided to the unit to fight terror over the last two years.
The senior IPS officer AK Mohanty, who designed the structure and functioning of Octopus, had proposed that the unit would have its own Intelligence and analysis wing, operational wing, massive infrastructure with 1,500 personnel.
He proposed to have a tough organisation, just like the ATS in other states and agencies across the world, which would deal with terrorism effectively.
He was, however. not provided with the logistics and he was eventually transferred.
“Octopus will become fully functional from August 15. The Government is also allotting a 70-acre land at Ibrahimpatnam to them,’’ Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy told reporters soon after the review meeting. She said that apart from Hyderabad, Octopus commandos would be posted in Vizag, Tirupati, Sriharikota and Kakinada.
She said that the Chief Minister had even directed the officials concerned to pay compensation to farmers before allotment of the land to Octopus. DGP SSP Yadav said that the CI Cell would further be strengthened after completion of the ongoing recruitment of police personnel. The process is on to recruit over 37,000 policemen right from constable to sub-inspector rank.
Additional DGPs (Intelligence) K Aravinda Rao, AK Khan (Law and Order) were also present.