Shiv Sena prepares 'judoka-commandos' to counter terrorism

Varanasi, Oct 3 (UNI) Shiv Sainiks here are on a mission to develop anti-terrorist squads of youths trained in martial arts and commando skills.

The seeds of the ambitious exercise have already been sown at a judo, karate, kung fu and taekwando training camp underway at the Company Garden in Maidagin locality of the city.

''We have already made the beginning by mobilising 50-odd school and college goers to enroll at the special camp being operated at the Company Garden (Maidagin) by black belt holder Shiv Sainik Santosh Seth every morning,'' District President of the saffron party Gulshan Kapoor told UNI here today.

''The camp has begun with grounding in not only Judo, Karate and Taekwando, but our traditional fighting skills like 'Durgaghati Mukki' will also be tought to the youngsters aged between 12 and 26 years. Our traditional but ever reliable martial arts like Mukki, Kushti and Dangal were slowly dwindling under the might of alien martial arts.

''We will hence train the 'Atankvad Virodhi Dal' youths in both traditional and modern martial arts,'' he added.

The youth undergoing training at the Company Garden daily starting with the first light of the day will automatically become Shiv Sainiks, consequently helping the party's cause of spreading its wings in the region, Mr Kapoor said.

The saffron brigade, however, has made no qualms in accepting that the camp will only train Hindus and not youths from other religion. ''Barring the recent blast in Malegaon, it is the Hindus alone who have been the target of terrorists. Hence we have decided to enroll only Hindus at the camp,'' he said.

The party plans to have girl students form a female counter-terrorism squad, Mr Kapoor said, adding, that the totally free training camp will go on through out the year and will be followed up next year, with the newly skilled experts of traditional and modern martial arts undergoing commando training in New Delhi at the hands of ex army commandos.

''Terrorists equipped with sophisticated weaponary cannot be countered though martial arts alone, but commando training at the hands of superannuated commandos at a nominal cost was essential for foiling the anti-national designs of the ultras,'' he added.

''Through this camp and subsequent commando training in New Delhi next year, we will not only be able to defend our families, but can also assist the entire society in proactively dealing with the menace of terrorism,'' said Ankit and Sunil, two school goers at present learning combat skills.

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