26-member team to be led by City Crime Branch ACP Mohammed Shariff Rawther

Mysuru, Oct. 13 (RK&KS) – In a bid to curb illegal activities, budding rowdies and crimes ranging from murders, extortion under the guise of fake accidents, burglaries, dacoities, rape and murder, to real estate mafia operations, the City Police Commissioner has revived the Anti-Rowdy Squad (ARS) in the city. The 26-member ARS is headed by City Crime Branch (CCB) Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mohammed Shariff Rawther.

Historical background

The ARS was first formed in 1993-94, during the tenure of City Police Commissioner H.R. Kasthurirangan and DCP (Law and Order) Keshavaiah. It was the first-of-its-kind squad in Karnataka.

The original squad was headed by ACP B.P. Uthappa and included Inspectors K.S. Thammaiah and Puttaswamygowda, along with Sub-Inspectors P. Mahadevappa, Mahadevu, T.M. Pasha, Marilingaiah, Ramesh, Jayasheela, Gangadhara, George, Vijayakumar, Sannabyra, Ravikumar, Anil Sankapal, Omprakash, Rajendra, Chennabasavaiah, Nagendra, Nataraj, Vasanthkumar, Nagubai and Vedavathi.

The squad successfully curtailed rowdyism in the city by listing out notorious elements, arresting them and taking legal action, including detentions under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), rebranded as Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in 2002.

When City Police Commissioner Kuchchanna Srinivas took charge in 1995, he continued the ARS. Kempaiah, who assumed office as Commissioner in 1996, strengthened the squad, which continued its operations until his transfer in 1999.

A notable incident occurred on April 12, 1998, when notorious rowdy Lakshman alias ‘Chimpanzee’, attacked the squad members. Then-ARS Inspector K.S. Thammaiah shot him dead, instilling fear among rowdy elements, who subsequently became cautious of challenging the squad.

After Kempaiah’s transfer, interest in maintaining the ARS waned and the squad became defunct and was eventually integrated into the City Crime Branch. From 1993 to 1999, the ARS successfully put a check on rowdyism through arrests, rowdy parades and strict warnings to anti-social elements.

Once the ARS became inactive, rowdy activities resurfaced, and new elements emerged, creating fear among the public. Between 2006 and 2007, with the real estate boom, rowdies began indulging in extortion, assaults on landowners and even murders.

Despite arrests and jail terms, these criminals often returned to their activities after securing bail, operating without fear of law enforcement.

Following recent murders, group clashes and the rape and murder of a minor girl, the City Police have re-activated the ARS to tackle rowdyism decisively.

Squad Members

Mohammed Shariff Rawther (CCB ACP), Shabir Hussain (CCB Inspector), Lepaksha (CCB Inspector), Revanana Siddappa (CCB Sub-Inspector), Anjaneya (Head Constable, Vidyaranyapuram Police Station), Ravi (Constable, Kuvempunagar Police Station), Varuna (Constable, Ashokapuram Police Station), Narasimhamurthy (Constable, Krishnaraja Police Station), Chandru (Head Constable, Lakshmipuram Police Station), Maruthi (Head Constable, Hebbal Police Station), Pradeep (Head Constable, Vijayanagar Police Station), Krishna (Head Constable, Metagalli Police Station), Puttappa (Constable, Saraswathipuram Police Station), Mahesh (Constable, Devaraja Police Station), Rakesh (Constable, Lashkar Police Station), Sandesh Kumar (Constable, Nazarbad Police Station), Chinnappa M. Kalloli (Constable, Udayagiri Police Station), Rajendra (Head Constable, Alanahalli Police Station), Sanjay Pawar (Constable, Narasimharaja Police Station), M. Kumar (Constable, Mandi Mohalla Police Station), Syed Mujahid (Constable, VV Puram Police Station), M.B. Kumbar (Constable, Jayalakshmipuram Police Station), Kavitha (Assistant Sub-Inspector, Ashokapuram Police Station), Gangareddy (Constable, Women’s Police Station), Apoorva (Constable, VV Puram Police Station) and Shwetha (Constable, Metagalli Police Station).