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The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is special Police Force in several states of India including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. In Maharashtra it is headed by senior IPS officer Vivek Phansalkar The Squad has stopped several terrorist attacks in the country.

In Maharashtra, it was started in 1990 by then Additional Commissioner of Mumbai Police Aftab Ahmed Khan popularly known as A.A.Khan. He was inspired by Los Angeles Police Department's Special Weapons & Tactics (SWAT) to take control over modern-day terrorism. After its formation in 1990, ATS's officers won 23 gallantry awards. The Anti Terrorism Squad was involved in the 26 November 2008 hostage rescue operations in multiple locations in Mumbai,Maharashtra including the 5 star hotels Taj and Oberoi Trident.

Termination and Reformation
This special unit was formed on December 1990 and helped reduce the crime rate in Mumbai by 70%. However, there were many human rights violations by this organization, from extreme means of torture to public shootings. After the most infamous shooting was the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, which occurred at Lokhandwala on 16 November 1991 and many more encounters, the organization was terminated in January 1993. The leader of this program, A.A-Khan, was transferred as the ICP Anti Naxalite division to Nagpur on 29 January 1993 following the termination of the program. One month later on 12 March 1993 the Bombay blasts occurred, and the crime rate has increased since then.

As per the information available on the official website of Mumbai Police, ATS was created by the Government of Maharashtra, vide G.R. No. SAS-10/03/15/SB-IV, dated 8 July 2004 The stated objectives of ATS are


 * 1) To get information about anti-national elements working in any part of Maharashtra
 * 2) To co-ordinate with Central information agencies, like IB, RAW and exchange information with them
 * 3) To co-ordinate with similar agencies of other States
 * 4) To track and eliminate activities of mafia and other organized crime syndicates
 * 5) To detect rackets of counterfeit currency notes and smuggling narcotic substances

Branches
Several states in India have created ATS units in their respective police forces, including :
 * Maharashtra
 * Ahmedabad
 * Lucknow
 * Rajasthan
 * Bihar
 * Madhya Pradesh
 * West Bengal

1991 Shootout at Lokhandwala
On 16 November 1991 ATS Chief, AA Khan, lead a squad of officers into the Swati building of Lokhandwala, eliminating 7 gangster including Maya Dolas and Dilip Buwa. This shootout lasted 4 hours with more than 450 rounds fired.

November 2008 Mumbai attacks
The former ATS Chief Hemant Karkare was killed fighting terrorists on 26 November 2008, at the Cama & Albless Hospital in the Dhobi Talao area of Mumbai. Karkare was killed with other two officers: Additional commissioner Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar. He was among the 14 police officials killed while fighting terrorists in Mumbai.

The terrorists had holed up in many heritage locations of Mumbai, such as Taj Mahal Palace (Hotel)& The Oberoi and Trident Nariman Point Hotels, where terrorists had killed 146 people, wounded at least 327, and taken at least 15 people hostage. Indians accounted for the majority of those attacked: 96 dead, at least 300 injured.

Karkare, a 1982 batch IPS officer, had returned to his state cadre after a seven-year tenure with the Research and Analysis Wing, Indian external intelligence agency, in Austria.

2009 shootout
After receiving a tip-off, ATS agents chased a Maruti 800 car bearing a 'UP' number-plate. During the chase, the terrorists shot at the police officers who retaliated, causing the car to hit the rear tire of the suspects' car, veering it off the road. ATS officers then took cover behind a roadblock and engaged the terrorists for 38 minutes in a fierce gun-battle. Officer Vinod Kumar sustained a bullet injury during the gunfight. The two terrorists ceased firing after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and succumbed to their injuries while they were rushed to the hospital.