Counter terror wing to get new chief soon

BENGALURU: The Counter Terrorism Centre (CTC) under the Internal Security Division (ISD) of the State police will soon have a new chief – a senior serving army officer – with the term of the incumbent officer Brigadier K. Arjun Muthanna coming to an end on February 24. The CTC was set up after 26/11 Mumbai carnage to train select police commandos in urban and jungle counter terrorism operation.

The State government has written to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to depute an officer to succeed Brig. Muthanna, who will be repatriated to the Army. He is from the Garhwal Rifles Regiment and was posted in Kargil, when he was selected and sent on deputation by the MoD to head the CTC in February 2010 and train select fresh recruits in the ISD in combat and counter terrorism skills.

According to official sources, the MoD is in “advanced” stages of selecting Brig. Muthanna’s successor, who has some years of combat experience and is willing to ‘volunteer’ his service to the State government.

The specialised force of commandos – Garuda – has around 200 highly motivated and trained young recruits and can handle any counter terrorist operation; from providing a quick response to a terror attack and saving lives to handling of hostage situation. Besides tactical training, the Garuda commandos have been trained in handling lethal and non-lethal weapons by elite commando forces such as the National Security Guards (NSG), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Force One of the Maharashtra Police.

The commandos, with an upper age limit of 30 years, include two women inspectors. The CTC is at the Karnataka State Reserve Police grounds in Kudlu near Parapanna Agrahara. It will be soon shifted to a 30-acre sprawling campus at Agara near Kanakapura Road.