The National Security Guard (NSG), commonly known as Black Cats, is a counter-terrorism unit of the Indian government managed under the Ministry of Home Affairs.[3][4][5] It was founded on 16 October 1984, following Operation Blue Star, to combat terrorist activities and protect states against internal disturbances.[1][6][7][8] The unit's formation was formalised in the Parliament of India under the National Security Guard Act, 1986. NSG personnel are recruited from both the Indian Army and Central Armed Police Forces. The NSG is not classified as a traditional paramilitary force, but instead as a "specialised federal contingency unit".[citation needed]
The NSG was established in the wake of 1984 Operation Blue Star, and the high collateral damage to Golden Temple, and civilian and military collateral casualties. Since its founding the NSG has been deployed in the Punjab in 1986, and Jammu and Kashmir. Some of the NSG's known operations include:
29–30 April 1986: About 300 NSG commandos and 700 Border Security Force troops stormed the Golden Temple in Operation Black Thunder I. The Temple was cleared and handed over to Punjab Police on 1 May 1986. 300 Sikh militants were captured, and there were no deaths or injuries for either side.[9]
January 1988: The NSG conducted Op Black Hawk, a heliborne operation in the Mand area of Punjab. In this operation, two terrorists were killed and one 7.62mm rifle was recovered. It was a massive operation, says former NSG Director-General Ved Marwah, though it did not get many spectacular results like in Black Thunder.[10]
12 May 1988: 1,000 NSG commandos (all ranks) surrounded the Golden Temple for yet another assault, in Operation Black Thunder II. Sniper teams armed with Heckler & Koch PSG-1 rifles with night scopes took up positions, including atop a 300-foot water tower. While commandos from the 51 SAG were divided into assault squadrons, the SRG was used to seal off the area around the temple and for tactical support. In the three-day operation between 15 and 18 May 1988, the NSG cleared the temple. 40 terrorists were killed, and 200 surrendered. In the mid-1990s, an NSG battalion was again deployed in Punjab to confront the Sikh rioters. There they began training the Punjab Police in counter-terrorism.[11]
5 September – 15 January 1988: Guarding of high-risk terrorist code-named 'Jack'.[10]
4 August 1989: Operation Mouse Trap in the Tarn Taran district, Punjab, in conjunction with Punjab Police and other security forces. NSG was able to demonstrate that it was possible to achieve area dominance at night if the strategy and tactics were right. Ved Marwah calls this Operation Night Dominance.[10]
10 November 1990: NSG task force flown to Kolkata to rescue hostages of a Thai Airbus by Burmese students.[10]
25–26 January 1991: The NSG was involved in Operation Ani Ben, on CI tasks in Baroda, (Gujarat) where Punjab terrorists were holed up inside a house. Two terrorists were killed and two AK-47s were recovered.[10]
1 July-20 September 1991: NSG employed along with SIT in search and strike missions after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.[10]
25 November – 16 December 1992: 150 commandos were deployed at Ayodhya during the Ram Janambhoomi and Babri Masjid crisis.[10]
27 March 1993: 52 SAG mobilised and moved to Adampur for the rescue of hostages of Indian Airlines Flight IC 486.[10]
24–25 April 1993: NSG Commandos stormed a hijacked Indian Airlines Boeing 737 with 141 passengers on board at Amritsar airport during Operation Ashwamedh. Two hijackers, including their leader, Mohammed Yousuf Shah, were killed and one was disarmed before any hostages were harmed.[10][12]
October 1998: As part of the implementation of the Union Home Ministry's decision to conduct pro-active strikes against militants, commando teams supported by IAF Mi-25/35 helicopter gun-ships began striking at terrorist groups deep inside the mountains and forests of Kashmir. After helicopter reconnaissance was conducted to pinpoint the militants, the commandos – comprising NSG and Rashtriya Rifles personnel – were para-dropped, along with supplies, into the area to hunt the militants. They had to rely on these supplies and their ability to live off the land until replenishment every fortnight or so. These missions are possibly ongoing.[11]
15 July 1999: NSG commandos ended a 30-hour standoff by killing two terrorists and rescuing all 12 hostages unharmed in J&K. The terrorists had attacked a BSF campus near Srinagar, and killed three officers and the wife of another. The 12 hostages were kept locked in a room.[11]
21 August 1999: After interrogating three captured terrorists, the Delhi Police Crime branch confirmed that two more terrorists were hiding in a one-storied house in Rudrapur, Uttar Pradesh. Since the terrorists were considered armed and dangerous (their colleagues were arrested with 100+ pounds of RDX), the Delhi Police sought assistance from the NSG. A 16-man team arrived at the house at 4:45 am. They began their assault at 5:30 am, before first light. The first militant managed to fire at the commandos with a pistol he kept by his bedside, but was killed an instant later. The second terrorist was shot before he had a chance to fire and died 40 minutes later. No NSG personnel were injured.[11]
December 1999: Terrorists hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC814 from Nepal, and landed in Amritsar, Punjab. Within minutes of landing, the Crisis Management Group (CMG), which authorised the use of the NSG, was informed. But the CMG wasted precious hours and by the time the go-ahead was issued, it was too late. On the other hand, the NSG team on alert was elsewhere and no other team was raised during the delay. The hijacked plane took off before the NSG reached Amritsar Airport. The plane landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan where one hostage was killed. Finally, the Indian Government agreed to the terrorists' demands to release three jailed terrorists. The hostages were released and the terrorists escaped to Pakistan.[11]
February 2000: Following the Flight IC 814 fiasco, the Indian Government decided to implement an Air Marshaling programme. At least two NSG operators were to be present on flights over select routes. These operators would be armed with weapons firing lethal, but low-velocity, fragmentation rounds to minimise danger to the passengers and prevent penetration of the aircraft. Another decision taken was to deploy NSG teams permanently at eight sensitive airports around the country, especially those bordering Pakistan and the North East. This decision was to cut short reaction times for the NSG and eliminate the hassles involved in flying the teams to the hijack site. It is not known if this plan has been put into action.[11]
September 2002 – SAG commandos flew to Karnataka to catch sandalwood smuggler and forest brigand Veerappan in the wake of the kidnapping of a former minister of the state cabinet, Nagappa. They pulled out after suggesting that intelligence for the operation was inadequate. A small team was left behind to help, the hostage was eventually killed in December 2002.[10]
October 2002 – Two terrorists attacked the Akshardham temple complex in Gujarat. NSG flew in, delayed by traffic in Delhi. They carried out assaults in which one commando was killed and another one was seriously injured and died after 18 months in a coma. By morning, the terrorists were neutralised and the operation was completed successfully.[10]
December 2002 – Terrorists attacked the Raghunath temple in Jammu. NSG was ready to be flown out but was called back at the last minute.[10]
2013 Patna bombings – A team of the NSG, which was sent to Patna for post-blasts analysis, said at least three more Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were defused.
2016 Pathankot attack – An NSG team took part in the operation to neutralise terrorists where Lt. Col. Niranjan lost his life defusing a grenade or IED booby-trapped on the body of a dead terrorist, and 12 other members of the unit were injured. Six terrorists were neutralised in the operation by the NSG, Defence Security Corps and the Garud Commando Force[13][14]
May 2023 – A team of NSG Commandos was deployed in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir along with a team of MARCOS Commandos to provide security to the G20 delegates during the 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar during May 22–24.[15]
Roles
The NSG is a 'contingency deployment force' which generally intervenes during serious terrorist attacks. It has been described as "New Delhi’s go-to response force in worst case scenarios".[16][17]
NSG 2024
As a specialized counter-terrorism force, it is intended to be used "only in exceptional situations" and is not meant to take over the "functions of the State Police Forces or other Para Military Forces".[16] Despite this, its role was later expanded to provide personal security to influential politicians regardless of the real threat that they face. However, in January 2020, NSG was relieved of its additional responsibilities of VIP security and its original roles of counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking were restored.[18]
A small unit of the NSG has been present in Kashmir since 2018, when the proposal to deploy around 100 commandos in Kashmir to support the Indian forces in high risk operations was approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs.[19][20] The NBDC, which is a specialized agency operating within the NSG, has also occasionally supported local law enforcement by conducting Post Blast Investigations.[21][22]
Mehram Nagar, Palam, serves as the administrative headquarters for the NSG. The headquarters is overseen by the Director-General of the NSG, who is assisted in administrative matters by four Indian Police Service officers, out of whom two are Inspectors Generals at the Administrative Headquarters. They are in turn assisted by the Deputy Inspectors General of the NSG.[27] The Financial Advisor of the NSG is generally an officer with the rank of Joint Secretary belonging to the Central Accounts Services and is assisted by two Deputy Financial Advisors belonging of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and the Indian Civil Accounts Service respectively. A small unit of the NSG is present near Palam Nagar.
Manesar is the operational headquarters of the NSG. An Indian ArmyMajor general who is deputed to NSG Manesar headquarters is designated as the Inspector General of NSG's operations. The Inspector General is responsible for the planning and conducting of operations. Training is overseen by the Inspector General of Training, also a major general on deputation from the army. Both of them are further assisted by the Deputy Inspector General of Operations and the Deputy Inspector General of Training respectively.[28] The combat arms of the NSG consist of two Special Action Groups and three Special Ranger Groups stationed at its Manesar headquarters, five Special Composite Groups posted at each of its five regional hubs as well as the National Bomb Data Centre and the Electronic Support Centre also based at its operational headquarters in Manesar.
Special Action Groups (SAG)
The NSG has two Special Action Groups – the 51 Special Action Group and the 52 Special Action Group. The 51 Special Action Group was the first unit to be set up when the NSG was created in 1986. The 51 SAG is tasked with counterterrorism and counter insurgency operations while the 52 SAG deals with anti-hijacking operations and is also known as "Hijack Busters".[29] The smallest operational unit within a Special Action Group is called a hit and consists of 5 members: two pairs (partners) and a technical support member. Four hits make a team that is led by a "Team Commander". SAG personnel are drawn from the Indian Army. The 51 SAG used to be the primary combat arm of the NSG with the SRGs serving in support roles until the 2010s when the 52 SAG was formed and the 11 SRG, along with the 51 SAG was made a part of the counter-terrorism force (CTF).
Special Ranger Groups (SRG)
NSG has three Special Ranger Groups (SRG) – 11, 12 & 13. Special Ranger Groups are organised into battalion lines. The SRG was initially the logistic arm of the NSG which performed low-risk combat roles such as cordons. Later, they were being used almost exclusively for VIP security. In 2012, the role of the 11 SRG was elevated to that of SAG units, and the 11 SRG was made a part of the counter-terrorism force (CTF) which included the 51 SAG and 11 SRG. However, the other two SRGs continued to be used for VIP security purposes until October 2024 when the central government decided to withdraw it from VVIP protection duties. SRG members are drawn mainly from the Central Armed Police Force personnel.
Special Composite Group (SCG)
Special Composite Groups are stationed at the regional hubs of the National Security Guard. Special Composite Group units consisting of personnel from both, the Indian Army and the Central Armed Police Forces, and respond to incidents that happen near their hubs. Each SCG is headed by an officer with the rank of Colonel on deputation from the Indian Army who serves with the rank of 'Group Commander'. The five SCG units are:
The electronic support group is based at the NSG's headquarters at Manesar. It provides communicational and technological assistance to support the operations of the NSG. The group is headed by an officer with the rank of "Group Commander" serving on deputation from the Indian Army.
National Bomb Data Centre
An NSG bomb disposal squad member during a training mission
The National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) was established in the year 1988 and redefined its role in the year 2000. NBDC was assigned the role of monitoring, recording, and analyzing all bombing incidents in the country. It also records and analyses various bombing incidents across the world to gain expert knowledge in bombing and related incidents to effectively counter such situations and share information with relevant security agencies. NBDC also performs research and development in the field of explosives engineering.[30] The NBDC act as a nodal agency for all bombing related facets in the country. It is headed by a Group Commander who is either an Army officer with the rank of 'colonel' or a Central Armed Police Force officer belonging to any force apart from the NSG itself with the rank of 'Commandant'.
Regional deployment
In response to the criticism received by the force for its failure to quickly arrive in Mumbai during the 2008 Mumbai attacks, from its base in Manesar, Haryana, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to deploy NSG contingents in major regions across India in order to avoid the occurrence of such situations in the future.[31][32] Each hub of the NSG is headed by an officer called the Director General of the Hub.
New Delhi
The regional hub in New Delhi is designated for Web Information Management.
Mumbai
The Mumbai regional hub is spread across 20.28 acres and has been constructed for Rs. 56.10 crore by the National Building Construction Corporation Limited. It has accommodation for the families of the commandos as well. Approximately 241 commandos will be housed there.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the regional hub of the National Security Guard for the region of South India. Its training center is located near Hyderabad, Telangana, India.[33] With the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) giving its nod and sanctioning ₹534 crore (equivalent to ₹749 crore or US$90 million in 2023) in 2017, the Southern Regional Centre (SRC) was established at Ibrahimpatnam, Hyderabad for training commandos.[34][35] The hub land area is 81 hectares (200 acres) and constructed at a cost of ₹157 crore (US$19 million).
The Hyderabad hub of the 28 Special Composite Group (SCG) of the NSG is among the five regional hubs in the country.[36] By 2018, 300 commandos were stationed at the NSG hub at Trimulgherry. The state has two trained anti-terror striking forces. Besides the NSG, the Telangana Police's counter-terrorist group, OCTOPUS, also has a training facility in the same neighborhood at Ibrahimpatnam, that has a strength of over 250 personnel.[37] NSG and OCTOPUS personnel undergo a grueling training process. The commandos are sent back to their parent department when they reach the age of 35, ensuring that the force remains young and physically fit for combat operations.[37]
Chennai
NSG Chennai Hub was established in 2009 as the third regional hub. Till 2012, the commandos were temporarily stationed at Ashok Nagar when the permanent facility was inaugurated by India's then-home minister P.Chidambaram, with the training center lying between forests and hillocks at Nedungundram off the Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road.[38]
Kolkata
Kolkata became the regional hub of the NSG for the region of East India in 2009, becoming the 4th such hub in the country. The Salt Lake campus was supposed to serve as its main base until the construction of its planned permanent facility at Badu in Madhyamgram (North 24 Parganas) was fully completed.[39] In 2012, the permanent facility was inaugurated by India's then Home Minister P. Chidambaram. The NSG hub in Kolkata had about 241 commandos by then, but the regional hub was still incomplete. On 1st March 2020, the fully complete 29 Special Composite Group complex was inaugurated by the Home Minister Amit Shah at New Town, West Bengal.[40][41]
Gandhinagar
In July 2018, NSG operationalized its fifth regional hub at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The hub stands on 1.33 lakh sq m of land near the Randesan village and contains 100 NSG commandos, training facilities, living barracks, and logistical support.[42][43]
Future
NSG has proposed Amritsar as a regional hub to improve its counteraction capabilities in Northern India.[44] NSG has considered other cities or regions like Ayodhya, Pathankot, and Kerala. In July 2024, an NSG team reached Ayodhya to carry out a 4-day exercise with coordination from other CAPF units and assess the security structure of the city. The NSG hub in Ayodhya is equipped with specialized weaponry and anti-drone technology that is expected to be operationalized along with support units of other CAPFs within a few months. The land allocation process for the hub has begun. The Ayodhya hub will be the first response center for NSG in Uttar Pradesh. After the establishment of these three hubs by 2024-end, there will be a total of eight NSG hubs in India.[45][46]
NSG Sniper with a Barrett Model 98B during Republic Day parade in 2021
Selection is demanding and has a dropout rate of about 70–80 percent.[48] The NSG has a 14-month long training course, which spans three phases. The eligibility of trainees is assessed in the selection stage which consists of various tests related to the physical and psychological capabilities of the trainees. A cadet has to meet certain physical, psychological, and educational experience-related criteria to clear this stage. The second stage is selection and basic training which is conducted at the National Security Guard Academy in Manesar lasts for three months and is devoted to the basics. The physical fitness training is believed to have 26 elements, ranging from a cross-country obstacle course to jumping from heights and across divides and scaling different kinds of terrain. One endurance test involves martial arts, target shooting at the end of an obstacle-ridden cross-country run. Such exercises are supposedly meant to assess how the candidate would likely perform under stress and exhaustion. Those who complete the tests are sent for nine months of advanced training.[49]
Advanced training reportedly includes techniques related to hand-to-hand combat, intelligence gathering, demolition, bomb disposal, insertion, and reflex shooting. Well-publicised training exercises include the 'combat room shoot' where the candidates have to shoot at a target three seconds after entering a dark room with the help of a torchlight or a compatible laser image intensifier and 'twin room shooting' where candidates enter contiguous rooms and watch each other's movements on a screen which they have to shoot at to train their response time. Another known exercise requiring candidates to shoot at a target placed next to their buddy is also a part of the Indian Army Special Forces training. Shooting skills are practiced at a 400-meter, 11-zone electronic combat shooting range where candidates are rated on a point scale for covering the distance in 6.30 minutes and firing at 29 different dynamic targets with the target exposure time lying between two and three minutes.[49] Before being inducted into the NSG, aspirants also have to undergo a rigorous psychological test.[50]
Joint Training Exercises
The NSG frequently participates in training exercises. The majority of them are with the U.S. Army's Green Berets who regularly participate in training exercises with the NSG. The two forces conduct an annual counterterrorism training exercise called TARKASH.
Germany
After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the NSG decided to have a joint exercise with the German GSG 9. In November 2009, a team from NSG visited the GSG 9 headquarters.[51] Joint training exercises between GSG 9 and NSG were subsequently conducted in Manesar.[52]
United States
Indian NSG and US(SOF) operator during Tarkash 2023 exercise
In March 2019, the NSG and US 1st Special Forces Group carried out joint exercises in Hyderabad.[55][56] The sixth edition of the TARKASH exercise between the NSG and the 1st Special Forces Group from January 14 till the end of February 2023.[57][58] In the same year, the Green Berets and the NSG held another training exercise focused on exchange of subject matter expertise related to CBRNe threats at Manesar from June 19 till the end of the month ahead of the G20 meeting in India. The Indian Army was also involved in the exercise.[59]
Remote-operated vehicle, which can transport 150 kg of Improvised explosive device. It can also transport biological, chemical, and nuclear radioactive materials[63]
State of Siege: 26/11 is a Zee5 web series that presents the 26/11 terror attack incident from the viewpoint of NSG commandos responding to the attacks.[69]
^Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs (23 November 2011). "Office Memorandum"(PDF). mha.gov.in. Director (Personnel), MHA. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
^Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs (18 March 2011). "Office Memorandum"(PDF). mha.gov.in. Director (Personnel), MHA. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
^Sengupta, Somini; Bradsher, Keith (28 November 2008). "Mumbai Terrorist Siege Over, India Says". The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Retrieved 23 January 2020. ...the siege appeared finally to have ended, J. K. Dutt, director general of the National Security Guard, an elite commando force, said...
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