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Journalism of Courage
In the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks and other terror incidents last year,a number of security organisations in the country,including the NSG,are looking at foreign agencies to train their personnel in modern tactical warfare and anti-terror operations.
Sources have told The Indian Express that post-Mumbai attacks,these organisations have been scouting for professional trainers in countries like the United States,France,Germany,Israel and Britain,and initial talks with them have already been held. Some like the Maharashtra Police are close to finalising a training schedule.
For example,it was felt that the time taken by the commandoes to drop down from a helicopter on to the roof of a building,like it was done at Nariman House in Mumbai,needed to be reduced to avoid possible firing at the chopper by enemies.
With hostage-taking becoming a common feature of terror tactics,the NSG is looking at enhancing its capabilities to deal with such situations as well. The aim is to carry out lethal bus or aircraft assaults,or storm a building with more precision but minimum collateral damage.
The ability or rather the lack of it of the police forces to effectively engage terrorists till special anti-terror forces arrive on the scene has come in for sharp criticism,especially after the Mumbai attacks.
The Centre has asked the state governments to raise special battalions in their police forces and not be completely dependent on central forces to deal with terrorist situations. In this connection,the special anti-Naxal force,Greyhounds,raised by Andhra Pradesh has often been cited as a successful example.
Post-Mumbai,however,state police forces are also considering the option of specialised forces equipped with modern weapons and skills to deal with new security challenges. Sources have told The Indian Express that not only Maharashtra and Gujarat,two states that have been frequent targets of terror groups,but even states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were looking at getting their police forces trained by foreign agencies to equip them with modern technology and enhance their capabilities in modern warfare.
The Maharashtra Police,specifically,is considering raising a high-tech commando unit capable of handling situations like hostage rescue operations,building assaults and surveillance.
The CRPF,which is involved in a bloody jungle war with Naxalite groups in many states and is fighting insurgency in the North East,is also on the lookout for foreign trainers.
