Bhubaneswar, May 22: In the wake of the Balianta mob violence incident in which GRP constable Soumyaranjan Swain was beaten to death, police have formed a special force to tackle riots and mob attacks in urban areas. The move comes after allegations that police personnel failed to control the violent crowd during the Balianta incident, drawing criticism over law and order management.

The newly formed force comprises commandos from the Special Tactical Unit (STU) and Special Tactical Group (STG). Around 30 commandos from each unit have been included in the team. Trained at the SOG camp in Chandaka, these “Urban Commandos” are skilled in handling terror threats and high-risk operations in city areas.

The commandos are usually deployed during Assembly sessions, VVIP visits, political rallies and high-alert situations at the airport. Police officials said the force will now also be used to respond to mob violence and emergency law-and-order situations.

A senior police officer said ERSS and PCR personnel are generally the first responders during such incidents. However, in the Balianta case, police failed to bring the situation under control, which affected the image of the force. To prevent a repeat of such incidents, commandos are now being trained in crowd control and emergency response tactics.

Officials further said agencies like CISF and other security organisations may provide advanced training to the commandos in the coming days.