Anti-rowdy squad formed to deal with anti-social elements in city

Mysuru: The quiet lanes of the city, with massive trees lining their sides and the sloping tiled roofs of many old houses, standing in defiance of modernity, glimpsed through a film of leaves – these trappings all may lull one into thinking of Mysuru as a veritable paradise of tranquillity. Although there is more than a grain of truth to this image of the city, there is an obverse side to Mysuru, which is not as rosy as this reductive portrait might lead one to believe. The city has, as the cliché goes, a dark underbelly and there are more than 1,000 rowdies listed. Less than a week ago, city police raided the houses of nearly 100 rowdies and in a bid to curb their illegal activities, cops have now formed anti-rowdy squad to curb illegal activities.
The anti-rowdy squad is not exactly a new initiative, having had a precursor in the full-fledged group that was constituted to deal with rowdies in the city in the 1990s. More recently, the City Crime Branch formed a separate wing to deal with these anti-social elements following a string of murders. But the new squad will have minimum personnel, and add much-needed teeth to the existing forces of the CCB.

The anti-rowdy squad is headed by an inspector with eight personnel and they have been given the authority to operate across the length and breadth of the city. Cops are also appealing to the public to keep them in the loop if they receive threats or if rowdies in localities were extorting money from real estate agents, or indulging in eve-teasing and such acts.

Mysuru city police commissioner A Subramanyeshwara Rao called on the public to help keep rowdies in check.

Inspector Mallesha, who is heading the anti-rowdy squad, told TOI that the squad would closely monitor activities of listed sheeters and conduct rowdy parades to keep them in check. “Police teams may carry out raids on their homes any time, and they are likely to banish them from the district in case they are found to be involved in the same offence more than once,” he said.

Ahead of New Year’s day, police carried out raids on the houses of nearly 100 rowdies. Stating that the squad was similar to the one set up by former commissioner Kasturi Rangan, Mallesha added, “That squad crushed activities of rowdies with an iron hand. But the squad was dismantled following which their activities spiked in the city.”