Chetak force ready for action

Two years after terror struck Akshardham, Gujarat’s home-grown commando force — the Chetak Commando Force (CCF) — is ready. Trained on the lines of the National Security Guard, the force has been given specialised training.

The force, conceptualised and raised after the September 24 attack, is now honing skills, keeping in mind the probability of such attacks in the state. Drawn from the State Reserve Police after a rigorous selection process, the commandoes were trained at the Gujarat Police Training Academy (GPTA) at Karai in Gandhinagar district. The first batch of 140 trainees, trained by instructors from the NSG Training Academy at Manesar in Haryana, passed out over six months back.

They’re presently stationed at Gandhinagar and deployed, for training purposes, in various duties — like VIP security — from time to time. ‘‘They also undergo regular refresher courses at GPTA. We want to make them conversant with all kinds of crisis situations,’’ said S.S. Khandwavala, ADG (Training), also director of GPTA.

‘‘CCF is basically an anti-terrorist force. But considering the variety of training they’re given, they can be used in several demanding situations like hostage crises, VIP security and anti-sabotage operations,’’ state DGP A.K. Bhargava said.