Representational Image.  |  Photo Credit: Times Now
Key Highlights
- The training centre is coming up in Deoband, a hub of the famous Islamic seminary known as the Darul Uloom
- The BJP had won four out of the 7 seats in Saharanpur in the 2017 Assembly elections – Deoband, Gangoh, Rampur Maniharan (SC) and Nakur
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) commando training centre in Saharanpur’s Deoband, launching a major initiative in the poll-bound state.
The move has amplified the Bharatiya Janata Party’s focus on nationalism.
The training centre is coming up in Deoband, a hub of the famous Islamic seminary known as the Darul Uloom.
“On one hand there will be tablets and smartphones, while on the other there will be ATS commandos to ensure security. Agar desh ke khilaaf saazish karoge, toh humare commando, tum kahin bhi chupoge, dhoondh ke nikalenge aur kaam tamaam kar denge,” the Chief Minister said in Saharanpur.
Spread over 2,000 square metres, the upcoming ATS centre is expected to train nearly 100 commandos that will keep a hawk-eyed vigil in the communally-sensitive western Uttar Pradesh. The ATS centre will also have around 15 IPS officers.
The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has plans to set up similar ATS centres across the state, including Meerut, Bahraich, Shravasti, and Gautam Buddha Nagar.
“It is a crucial project for the security of the region and for strengthening the feeling of nationalism amongst people. This will be the second key project in the district, after Ma Shakumbhari Devi University, for which the foundation stone was laid by Union Home Minister Amit Shah last month,” a government spokesperson said, according to news agency IANS.
The BJP had won four out of the 7 seats in Saharanpur in the 2017 Assembly elections – Deoband, Gangoh, Rampur Maniharan (SC) and Nakur.
The Congress won the Saharanpur (Dehat) and Behat, while the Samajwadi Party won Saharanpur (city) seat.