Bihar ATS men learning Urdu to decode terrorists
PATNA: 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
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.
The ruling BJD lawmakers will raise the Mahanadi tribunal, Polavaram project and other issues related to Odisha’s interest during the second phase of the Parliament’s budget session begining on March 5.
The BJD MPs will ask the NDA government at the Centre for more central forces for tackling the Maoist activities in Odisha.
A decision in this regard was taken at BJD parliamentary party’s meeting presided over by the party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
The MPs of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha attended the meeting held at Naveen Niwas, the residence of Odisha Chief Minister.
We will demand to expedite the process of setting up of Mahanadi Tribunal to resolve the Mahanadi River water dispute with Chhattisgarh in the second phase of the budget session of Parliament, said BJD Parliamentary party spokesman and Lok Sabha MP Kalikesh Singhdeo after the meeting.
This apart, the BJD MPs will also put pressure on the Centre to stop construction of Polavaram project, he said.
BJD MP from Berhampur, Sidhant Mohapatra said the lawmakers will also raise the party’s demand to raise the minimum support price of paddy to Rs 2930 per quintal against the existing price of ₹1,550 per quintal.
The meeting also decided that BJD MPs will raise Odisha’s demand to bring the state under one railway zone as well as to expedite various railway projects in the state.
The BJD would also raise Odisha’s long-standing demand to accord special category status to the state, he said.
Answering a question, Singhdeo said the assistance of other states will be sought but BJD will keep maintaining equidistance from the UPA and the NDA.
At least 125 students complained of food poisoning after having snacks at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Chhattisgarh s Surajpur district, an official said.
Students, mostly from classes 9th to 11th, had consumed “dahi wada” yesterday at the school, located in Basdei village, and complained of uneasiness, dysentery, headache and fever, Surajpur Collector KC Devsenapati told PTI today.
“Around 10 students had dysentery. About 70 had headache and 45 had fever. A medical team was rushed to the school and 46 students were admitted to the district hospital today morning. Others have been kept under the supervision of a team of six doctors camping at the school,” he informed.
He said that of the students who were admitted, 20 were discharged after their parents took them home.
“The condition of the remaining 26 is also normal and they too will be discharged soon. We are investigating the incident,” he said.
BHUBANESWAR: RAIPUR/KORBA: