Mumbai gets special force to counter terrorist attacks

Aug 28, 2009, 9:52 GMT

   New Delhi - India's financial hub of Mumbai, which was attacked by Muslim militants in November, has introduced a special force equipped with sophisticated weaponry and hardware to battle terrorists, a news report said Friday.

   In the first major effort to provide increased security to the metropolis, authorities have procured an array of weapons and bullet-proof vehicles for the city police's new Quick Response Team, the NDTV network reported.

   The team consists of 900 specially trained policemen. Five units will be placed across the city to deal with attacks.

   The 1.2-billion-rupee (24-million-dollar) upgrade has state-of-the art weapons imported from the United States and Germany to modernize the police, which had to counter the November attack with archaic rifles and batons, the report said.

   India accuses Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba of planning and executing the November 26 terrorist attack in the capital of the western state of Maharashtra, which left more than 160 people dead.

   India's financial nerve-centre has been targeted by terrorists several times since the 1993 serial bombings that killed more than 250 people. Blasts carried out by militants in 2003 left over 54 dead.

   Indian security officials said the LeT has been behind most of the attacks, including the July 2006 bombings of its train network, which killed 186 people.

   'This is not the end of our preparation. We are going to change and add to our capabilities. From 26 November we have come a long way,' Mumbai Police Commissioner Dhanushyakodi Sivanandan said.

   Apart from replacing the antiquated armoury, the police force is also taking steps to ensure the welfare of its employees.

   'All of them will receive double salary. The commissioner has also organized yoga classes to release stress and medical check-ups for all 43,000 people,' Maharashtra Security Minister Jayant Patil said.

   Sivanandan added, 'We need a force that is fit and healthy. So we are training 300 wives on how to cook a proper diet for their husbands.'