by Ashish Chauhan, Ahmedabad

Officials of the first batch of Bihar ATS, which came into being after the 2013 Patna bomb blasts, are set to hone their skills in probing such cases at Gujarat Forensic Science University based at Gandhinagar.

“The first batch of the newly-formed Anti Terrorism Squad of Bihar will take training on explosives and post-blast investigation from experts of Gandhinagar-based ‘Gujarat Forensic Science University’ (GFSU),” Director General of the University J M Vyas told PTI.

GFSU, established by the Government of Gujarat, is the only university across the world, dedicated to Forensic & Investigative Science.

According to Vyas, as many as six officials of Bihar ATS, including an IG, a DIG, a superintendent of police and a dySP, will be part of the batch which will undergo training between March 23 and March 27.

Vyas said the request to train the ATS officials came from Bihar Police two months back, which was accepted by GFSU.

GFSU Director M S Dahiya, who has offered his expertise to many agencies in a number of bomb blast cases, said the ATS officials will be imparted both theoretical as well as practical training on explosives.

“We will train the ATS officials on explosives that will help them to analyse the post-blast scene and to probe the crime more effectively,” Dahiya, who had helped in the probe of the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, said.

He said the aspects of the training will help the officials understand and analyse explosives, including low and high intensity blast materials.

The officials will be informed about various types of explosives like RDX and Ammonium Nitrate and mechanism which is used to trigger blasts, Dahiya said.

GFSU had earlier imparted training to officials of the premier National Investigating Agency (NIA) to probe blast cases.

A need to form ATS in Bihar was raised after blasts rocked Patna, just ahead of the election rally of Narendra Modi. Six persons were killed and 85 others were injured in eight bomb blasts in and around Gandhi Maidan area.

Though the ATS became functional in October 2013, it got its full strength of around 344 police personnel only in November last year.

The squad, which has been set up at an annual cost of Rs 18.13 crore, also consists of six sub-inspectors.

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