A sneak peek into the life of NSG Commandos

New Delhi: The National Security Guard (NSG) is a Special Response Unit in India that proudly wears the mantle of being one of the finest counter-terrorist units in all of Asia.NSG commandos are also known as Black Cats, because of the black drill cotton coveralls and balaclavas or helmets they wear. This force draws heavily from the army, but has personnel from other forces as well.The force has maintained an edge over terrorist outfits in possession of latest technology.The force was created by the Cabinet Secretariat under the National Security Guard Act of the Indian Parliament in 1986. They were first used to combat the insurgency movement in the Indian state of Punjab in 1986. They are now primarily utilised for counter-terrorist activities and have seen combat operations in Jammu and Kashmir, though sparingly.They are considered as the nation's much vaunted counter-terror arm that so heroically brought the curtain down on the 26/11 outrage.They are entrusted with guarding the lives of the country's VVIPs , The task of providing VVIP security for high-risk VVIPs in India is done by the Special Rangers Group (SRG) of the NSG.Their roles include protecting VIPs, conducting anti-sabotage checks, rescuing hostages, neutralizing terrorist threats to vital installations, engaging terrorists and responding to hijacking and piracy.NSG commandos goes through a very specialized training program, but it is generally focused on urban warfare due to its primary role as a Counter-Terrorism Hostage crisis force.At the training, the commandos are trained to handle sophisticated communication equipment, combat gadgets and different kinds of arms/specialised weapons such as AK-47/74s, Browning hi-power 9mm pistol, 9mm Uzi sub-machine gun, 5.56mm M-16 A2, 9mm H&K MP5-A2/A3 and locally manufactured 7.62mm SLR and 5.56mm INSAS rifles. Sniper rifles such as the semi-automatic H&K 7.62mm PSG-1 and MSG-90, the SIG 7.62mm, SSG-2000 and the bolt-action Mauser SP66/86SR.They are trained to rappel down a line from a hovering helicopter at an enemy location.Before bringing them into the active NSG force commandos are trained for 14 months at Manesar, Haryana.The first phase of training last for 90 days, those who clear the first phase are sent for nine months of advanced training.Only those who complete the entire course successfully are inducted into the NSG and given further specialised training, thus making them at par with the best forces around.