New Delhi, November 29
The NSG, which played a pivotal role in the anti-terror operations in Mumbai, has decided to include the siege experience in its new training schedule for its elite Black Cat commandos.

The NSG is purely a deputation force with personnel and officials drawn from the Army and various paramilitary forces like the CRPF, ITBP, CISF, BSF and SSB.

“The Mumbai siege has been a learning experience for us. We will include this feature in our future commando trainings,” a senior NSG official said.

All men on deputation will have to undergo the new training module. “It was for the first time that we operated in crowded and densely populated areas. Nariman House in south Mumbai was closeted in a mesh of bylanes and achieving operational success without the loss of innocent lives was a challenge,” the official said.

The Taj and Oberoi (Trident) were large hotels with spacious rooms, kitchens, ball rooms, restaurants and ante-rooms which can provide ample hiding space to terrorists and help them create hurdles for the crack commandos, the official said.

The commandos, who have an upper age limit of 38 years, undergo a rigorous pre-induction course while coming on deputation from other forces and is cleared by only 50-55 per cent candidates.

Till now, new recruits are being trained in Police Commando Instructors Course (PCIC), VIP security, VIP driving, bomb disposal, post blast study and Left-wing extremism courses.

To sharpen the anti-terror and anti-hijack skills of the crack commandos, the NSG recruits are trained in simulated conditions. They are also made to develop physical and mental agility in order to imbibe combat skills. Mobile and static security, access control, observation techniques and ground control are some of the other modules included.

The snipers are trained in precision firing which include sharp shooting and reflex training, defensive and evasive driving skills and awareness of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and booby traps.

Techniques of “room intervention” (breaking open rooms), “slither down” (descending from heli-borne commandos on roof top with the help of ropes) and “top to bottom” (entering an establishment from the roof and gradually moving down) and “observe and fire” (watch the enemy and shoot) were used by the Black Cats in their operations in Mumbai. — PTI