Bihar ATS men learning Urdu to decode terrorists
PATNA: Largely a language of communication for poets and romantics in Bihar, Urdu nowadays is attracting people from various other sectors, including those in uniforms, for official purposes.
This is evident from the enrolment of pupils with the directorate of Urdu of Bihar’s Rajbhasha department where at least six members of the Bihar Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) have recently enrolled for the stipulated three months Urdu course.
Sources in the ATS said that the decision to impart knowledge of Urdu language among its cadets has arisen out of the spurt in terrorist activities across state.
Islamic radicals and sleeper cells of various terrorist groups, mostly SIMI, Indian Mujahideen (IM), Jamat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB) and various anti-Myanmar groups are frequently raising their ugly heads in the state and carrying out subversive activities.
If the recent recovery of two high intensity bombs from the temple town, Bodh Gaya and arrest of several sleeper cell members from Gaya, Darbhanga and Madhubani are in any indication, the terrorist groups have made deeper inroads in the eastern state and nourish ulterior motives.
ATS sources said that the focus is prepare the cadets master in Urdu language to decipher the codes used in the notes, maps and other documents recovered during the raids at terrorist hideouts.
Most of the notes and other documents recovered from the suspected terrorist hideouts are written either in Urdu, Arabic or Persian languages, a senior police official in Patna said, adding that the knowledge of Urdu is getting important to expose the terror plans and to hunt down the groups.
A cadet enrolled for the course requesting anonymity said, “Learning Urdu was under considerations for the last several years, but the urgency was realised after an incident, which could have been avoided if any of the ATS official was able to decipher the Urdu code words used by the terrorists.”
The cadet said, a note was recovered from the terror suspects during a raid, but the script was Urdu and none in the raiding team was able to understand or read the content.
“By the time the team was able to decipher the codes, the terror plan got executed,” he said.
Imtiaz Ahmad Karimi, director, Urdu directorate, said Urdu leaning course was open for all.
“The department has been offering three months’ course for the promotion and development of Urdu. Anybody can join the hour- long session. It’s available every day free of cost and you may learn how to read and write Urdu in 50-hours,” he said.
According to Karimi, many non-Urdu speaking people, mostly government officials, advocates and bank officials along with writers, poets and teachers enroll for the course.
Writers come here for their love for Urdu, but the advocates and bankers need to learn it to read the documents in Urdu provided by their clients, he added.
“Often the police also join the course. Of the new batch comprising 17 students last month, several are from the police and ATS,” he said.
MOST OF THE NOTES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS RECOVERED FROM THE SUSPECTED TERRORIST HIDEOUTS ARE WRITTEN EITHER IN URDU, ARABIC OR PERSIAN LANGUAGES, A SENIOR POLICE OFFICIAL IN PATNA SAID, ADDING THAT A KNOWLEDGE OF URDU IS IMPORTANT