They are considered the country’s best commando force, an elite crack unit. After an anti-terror operation lasting 50 hours, the nation knows why
Fifty hours of pitched gun battle, a nerve wracking search-and-rescue operation and the death of two of its men in the line of duty. As the dust began settling on Mumbai’s latest tryst with terror, the National Security Guards NSG—or the Black Cats as they are called because of their trademark black uniforms and balaclavas—once again showed why they are considered the country’s most elite commando force.

THE BEGINNING
Originally raised as a federal contingency deployment force in 1984—in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar—NSG’s mandate was anti-hijacking, hostage rescue and anti-terror operations. The nucleus of this force was the Special Group, set up under the Cabinet Secretariat in 1981. NSG was set up following the Army operation in the Golden Temple, when it was decided that the nation needs a quick-reaction contingency force.
Its responsibilities have since grown to providing cover to “high-risk dignitaries”, conducting anti-sabotage checks at public venues, performing Sky Marshal duties in domestic and international flights and investigating bomb blasts and collecting related data.

WHY IS NSG SPECIAL?
As the latest Mumbai strike showed, NSG’s success has been its “low casualty rate”. Of the 477 Black Cats who swung into action soon after the siege, only two NSG personnel lost their lives in an operation that lasted over 50 hours at three different locations. In 1988, during Operation Black Thunder II at Golden Temple, the NSG flushed out 250 militants with only a couple of its men getting injured.
NSG commandos, unlike other paramilitary or state police personnel, are trained to “neutralise” the enemy given the fact that they are only called in extraordinary situations.

THE ORGANISATION
Modelled on United Kingdom’s Special Air Service SAS and Germany’s elite counter-terrorism force, the GSG-9, the NSG, based at a sprawling garrison at Manesar in Gurgaon, has two complementary wings—the Special Action Group SAG and Special Ranger Groups SRG.

SAG—completely made up of Indian Army personnel—is mandated to conduct offensive counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking operations while the SRG is essentially tasked with the supplementary role of providing tactical support and carrying heavy weapons during SAGs operations. NSG currently has two SAG battalions—the 51 SAG and the 52 SAG and has three SRG battalions. SRG comprises personnel drawn from the Central paramilitary forces like the CRPF, CISF, ITBP and BSF and the state police forces.
NSG commando teams are usually five-member teams, each with two “buddy pairs” and a Commander of JCO rank. A large team generally has 25 men—four five-member teams plus a five-member support group. Three teams—with 25 members each—make up a squadron like the one that Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan led at the Taj Mahal Hotel.

THE TRAINING
NSG commandos are said to undergo the toughest training regimen in the country. “Only 50-55 per cent of the total personnel taking our 90-day pre-induction course pass this course,” says an NSG Inspector General.
Constables over 30 and head constables over 38 cannot find a place in NSG.

ARMS, COMBAT GEAR
The primary weapon is usually a German-made MP5, MP3, AK-47 or an INSAS, and a secondary weapon is usually the Glock 17 or Sig Sauer P226 9mm pistols.
The sniper-rifle is usually the German-made Heckler and Koch’s PSG1 semi-automatic rifle. Commandos also carry commando daggers “without any poisoned tips”.
They also carry automatic grenade- and rocket-launchers. Both these equipment were carried inside the terror sites last week but the rocket launchers were not used to avoid collateral damage.
Hooligan tools also called house-breaking tools are a key part of the combat kit. Sources said these Hooligan tools were employed to good effect to break open many of the doors at Taj and Nariman House.
The bullet-proof jacket is one of the heaviest pieces of their gear and weigh between 5.8 kg and 6.2 kg. “These jackets can block a 7.62 mm fire shot from a distance of 10 metres,” explains a senior NSG official. They also use a groin pad.
Black Cats are equipped with high-end equipment like night-vision and thermal imaging devices.

The Lesson Learnt
Top NSG officials say the time taken during the Mumbai operation will change the way NSG commandos are trained. “Engaging in an operation for this long has been a huge learning experience for the force and is going to change the way we train our men. This incident will become a case study to chart out the future roadmap of our training,” said a senior NSG official.