Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday greeted the elite National Security Guard (NSG) force on its 37th raising day, saying it is a “world-class trained force to tackle all facets of terrorism” and the country is proud of its troops. The elite striking force, the NSG was established in 1984 after the Union Cabinet decided to create a ‘Federal Contingency Force’ that was well trained to tackle various manifestations of terrorism. Every year, the Raising Day of the NSG is celebrated on October 16. This year marks the 37th anniversary of the establishment of the NSG, popularly known as Black Cats. “Greetings to our brave NSG personnel on their 37th Raising Day. NSG is a world-class trained force to tackle all facets of terrorism. This formidable force has left no stone unturned to live up to its motto ‘Sarvatra Sarvottam Suraksha’. India is proud of NSG black cats,” the Home Minister tweeted. NSG is intended to be deployed in exceptional circumstances only and is not meant to take over the functions of other paramilitary forces or state police forces. The task-oriented force comprises two complementary elements in the form of the Special Action Group (SAG). The SAG is formed of army personnel as well as the Special Ranger Groups, which comprise of personnel drawn from State Police Forces or Central Armed Police Forces. It has six operational centres, with plans for the seventh one in Pathankot. The NSG is capable of handling a variety of high-pressure situations such as terrorist attacks, hostage captivity and hijackings. It also used to handle VIP security in the country, till a decision to withdraw the force from the same was taken in 2020 by the Central government. The Black Cats played a key role during the ‘Operation Black Tornado’ of 2008, when NSG commandos stormed the Nariman House, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Oberoi Trident hotel, and coordinating with personnel of other forces, killed all terrorists who had laid siege to the sites during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. (ANI)
