The Hindu : National : New roles await STF

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Wednesday, Oct 20, 2004

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National

New roles await STF

By K.T. Sangameswaran

The Tamil Nadu Additional Director-General of Police and STF chief, K. Vijay Kumar, (second from left) at a press meet in Dharmapuri on Tuesday. To his right is the Karnataka STF chief, Jyoti Prakash Mirji. — Photo: K. Ananthan

CHENNAI, OCT. 19. With the killing of Veerappan, what next for the elite Tamil Nadu Special Task Force (STF)? It had been entrusted with the task of nabbing the bandit. Now its future and role depends on how the State Government proposes to utilise the services of the personnel.

Though the STF has accomplished its main task, it will take time for the Government to take a decision, as the STF was not formed for the express purpose of nabbing Veerappan.

The unit was set up in 1993 to prevent hijacking, tackle armed militancy and terrorist activity and for hostage rescue operations. At that time, it was given the assignment of hunting down Veerappan. But the sailing was not smooth for it.

Numbers dwindle

Between 1993 and 1996 alone, the force, consisting mainly of well-trained commandos, had several encounters with Veerappan's gang members. According to official sources, following STF operations the number of members in the gang came down from nearly 150. In 1996, there were just five of them.

In 1996, after the change in Government in Tamil Nadu, the STF, the sources say, was not given much importance. However, some life was breathed into it following the kidnapping of Rajkumar and three others in July 2000 from the Sathyamangalam forests. The film star was released after 108 days in captivity.

Five years later, with a view to increasing the operational efficiency of the force, it was revamped. This step came amid criticism that the force consisted mainly of personnel dumped in it. The revamp ensured that only those who were willing to be a part of it and were highly motivated were posted. It was put under an officer in the rank of Additional Director-General of Police. At one stage, the Border Security Force (BSF) worked along with the STF. But their joint efforts too were in vain. The paramilitary force was withdrawn in October 2001.

As of now, the Tamil Nadu STF has 752 personnel. They include those drawn from the local police, the armed reserve wing and the Tamil Nadu Special Police. The sanctioned strength as in March 2004 was 253. Informed sources say that a high level of training has been given to the personnel. Depending on their aptitude, training for field craft, slithering, rock climbing and intelligence gathering was given.

In Karnataka

As Veerappan's operations were spread over Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the latter State also formed an STF. Given Veerappan's modus operandi — when chased by the police of one State, he escaped into the other — the STF of the two States formed a Joint Command for effective coordination and functioning. They worked out a joint strategy and were in constant touch with each other. Searches were conducted jointly. Central assistance to the operations came after the Union Home Ministry conducted a meeting of officials of both States in January 2003 when Karnataka and Tamil Nadu detailed their requirements.

Considering the important role of the commandos, it was decided that helicopters from the IAF and aerial surveillance by it would be provided for the transport of the personnel and for slithering training.

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