Commanding respect: Naga women unfazed on city guard

When Kerry Angani was growing up,she was often picked on by children at her school,in a village near Dimapur in Nagaland.

When Kerry Angani was growing up,she was often picked on by children at her school,in a village near Dimapur in Nagaland,for being too tiny. Now 18 years old,Angani is still tiny and frail. But one look at the automated rifle she wields with the ease of a professional soldier is enough to ward off the adult versions of her school bullies. Angani is one the youngest members of the Indian Womens Reserve paramilitary force who have been called to Delhi to fortify security for the Commonwealth Games.

If you have spotted young women from the Northeast in combat fatigues,sporting huge rifles around the city,dont be fooled by their tiny frames. As one official of the Delhi Police,who is coordinating with the special military forces,puts it,They may look tiny,but they can scale walls 10 feet high with ease that would put most men to shame. His colleague,a young,rotund Delhi Police constable feels compelled to add with a note of envy in his voice,They are commandos and have undergone serious training. Look how fit they are,its not like they sit around eating bread pakoras. Take them seriously.

Anganis colleagues,all 700 of them,are manning the Capitals popular markets and other vulnerable spots like Metro stations. We were told in August that our services would be required in Delhi during the Games. We have provided security cover in various cities during the elections,so we did not need to undergo a special training. But we did undertake rigorous drills for one month before coming here, says 32-year-old Commander Lom Kez. The force from Dimapur arrived in Delhi on September 11,and is scheduled to stay on till October 17. The force is staying at Delhi police quarters in Todapur,Outer Delhi.

Angani,who is stationed near the Barakhamba Metro station,excuses herself,It is my turn to man the bunker, she says,pointing to a makeshift sack structure across the road. Her 23-year-old colleague Sangmo Chang tells us the forces daily routing while in the Capital,We wake up at 7 am every morning and after quick exercises,shower,breakfast,we are assigned the spots we will be manning for the day. We are concentrating on crowded markets and Metro stations. Delhi Transport Corporation buses ferry us to the spot by 11 am and we stand guard till 7 every evening, she says.

Twenty-two-year-old Abele Rvalo from Meghalaya looks completely unfazed as hundreds of people mill around her in Bengali market. We are used to working at places with large crowds,I know what to look for, she says when asked if she is finding it difficult to work in uber populated Delhi. So,what are the signs that she looks for that tell her there may be trouble,I am not permitted to tell you, she says.

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