Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (TP)

Udupi, Jul 11: Former deputy superintendent of police (DySP) Anupama Shenoy has urged the Karnataka government to publicly clarify the legal basis for the continuation of the Special Action Force (SAF), which was constituted in 2025 and is currently operating in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Shivamogga districts.

Addressing a press conference in Udupi, Anupama Shenoy questioned the need for the SAF when the government itself has claimed that naxal activities in the state have been brought under control. She said the government should explain why a special force continues to function in the three districts despite the improved security situation.

She stated that the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) was downsized and replaced by the special action force. However, she alleged that the government has not disclosed under which law or legal provision the SAF was established. She demanded that the state government clearly explain the legal validity of the force and urged Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to provide a public clarification.

Referring to Shivakumar's earlier political remarks, Anupama Shenoy said she had once suggested that people of the coastal region did not vote for the Congress. "If that was the perception, then why has the government now deployed a special force exclusively in the coastal region?" she asked.

Anupama Shenoy also referred to the Chinnayya Burude case, which came to light shortly after the SAF was formed. She noted that the government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case, but questioned the specific purpose behind creating the SAF. "Was the SAF established merely to maintain law and order, or are there other reasons behind its formation? The government must make its intentions clear," she said.

Anupama further argued that the situation had changed following the Chinnayya Burude case and questioned the necessity of continuing the SAF in the coastal districts. Raising a series of questions, she asked whether the force had been retained to provide security to the Burude gang, adding that such concerns should be addressed transparently.

Pointing out that the SAF is funded through public money, Anupama Shenoy said that if the force is no longer required, the government should disband it and redirect the expenditure towards public development and the effective implementation of welfare guarantee schemes.