‘Cyber Commandos’ training programme for law enforcement officers begins at Pune’s DIAT

This initiative is in line with an advisory from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre of the Ministry of Home Affairs to establish special wings of Cyber Commandos within police forces across all states and Union Territories.

The six-month training programme was inaugurated at Takshashila Auditorium of DIAT, which is located at Girinagar in Pune.

Pune-based Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), the premier research and academic establishment of the Ministry of Defence, on Tuesday commenced the six-month-long specialised residential training programme of ‘Cyber Commandos’ for the officers from the law enforcement ecosystem under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

This initiative is in line with an advisory from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Ministry of Home Affairs to establish special wings of Cyber Commandos within police forces across all states and Union Territories to effectively counter the rising cyber threats.

The six-month training programme was inaugurated at Takshashila Auditorium of DIAT, which is located at Girinagar in Pune.

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DIAT said in a statement that the programme has been designed to equip participants with the necessary skills to tackle various cyber threats and enhance national security. A batch of officials from various central and state police forces are participating in the training programme.

The programme was launched in the presence of DIAT Vice Chancellor Dr B H V S Narayana Murthy, I4C Chief Executive Officer Rajesh Kumar and Dr G Athithan, retired distinguished scientist of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

“The participants will receive comprehensive, hands-on training in diverse aspects of cybersecurity, managing security incidents, equipping them to address complex cyber threats, and implement robust defence mechanisms across multiple sectors. This initiative is a crucial step towards building a resilient cyber defence framework in India. It fosters the collaboration among academic institutions and law enforcement agencies to share knowledge and resources. These highly trained professionals will play a pivotal role in securing India’s cyber ecosystem and responding to potential threats,” DIAT said in the statement.

Dr Narayana Murthy, in his welcome address, congratulated Dr Manisha Nene, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and her team for conducting the nation building programme.

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Dr Athithan highlighted the significance of cyber security in the national security domain and also outlined the roles for which the participants are to be trained.

I4C CEO Rajesh Kumar briefed the audience on the genesis of the specialised training in light of the evolving cyber challenges, and the role of I4C in organising the training programmes for law enforcement agencies. The first batch of training for the Cyber Commandos has been started simultaneously in nine other institutes across India.

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