Anti Terrorist Squad (India) - Termination and Reformation

Termination and Reformation

This special unit was formed on December 1990 and helped reduce the crime rate in Mumbai by 70%. However, there were many human rights violations by this organization, from extreme means of torture to public shootings. After the most infamous shooting was the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, which occurred at Lokhandwala on November 16, 1991 and many more encounters, the organization was terminated in January 1993. The leader of this program, A.A-Khan, was transferred as the ICP Anti Naxalite division to Nagpur on January 29, 1993 following the termination of the program. One month later on March 12, 1993 the Bombay blasts occurred, and the crime rate has increased since then.

As per the information available on the official website of Mumbai Police, ATS was created by the Government of Maharashtra, vide G.R. No. SAS-10/03/15/SB-IV, dated July 8, 2004 The stated objectives of ATS are

1. To get information about anti-national elements working in any part of Maharashtra
2. To co-ordinate with Central information agencies, like IB, RAW and exchange information with them
3. To co-ordinate with similar agencies of other States
4. To track and eliminate activities of mafia and other organized crime syndicates
5. To detect rackets of counterfeit currency notes and smuggling narcotic substances