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The National Security Guard (NSG) is a central armed police force in India under the
Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...
. It is the primary
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
force of the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
. It was founded on 16 October 1984, following
Operation Blue Star Operation Blue Star was a military operation by the Indian Armed Forces conducted between 1 and 10 June 1984 to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), a holy site of Sikhism, and i ...
, to combat terrorist activities and protect states against internal disturbances. The formation of the NSG was formalised in the
Parliament of India The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...
under the National Security Guard Act, 1986. NSG personnel are recruited from both the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
and
Central Armed Police Forces The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) consist of seven armed police organizations under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, tasked with maintaining internal security, law and order, counterinsurgency, and protecting borde ...
.


History

The NSG was established in the wake of 1984
Operation Blue Star Operation Blue Star was a military operation by the Indian Armed Forces conducted between 1 and 10 June 1984 to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), a holy site of Sikhism, and i ...
, and the high collateral damage to
Golden Temple The Golden Temple is a gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism. It is one of the Holy place, holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Kartarpur, Pakistan, ...
, and civilian and military collateral casualties. Since its founding the NSG has been deployed in the
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
in 1986, and Jammu and Kashmir. Some of the NSG's known operations include: * 29–30 April 1986: About 300 NSG commandos and 700
Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was formed in the wake of the Indo-Pak War of 196 ...
troops stormed the Golden Temple in Operation Black Thunder I. The Temple was cleared and handed over to Punjab Police on 1 May 1986. 300 Sikh militants were captured, and there were no deaths or injuries for either side. * January 1988: The NSG conducted Op Black Hawk, a heliborne operation in the Mand area of Punjab. In this operation, two terrorists were killed and one 7.62mm rifle was recovered. It was a massive operation, says former NSG Director-General
Ved Marwah Ved Prakash Marwah (15 September 1932 – 5 June 2020) was an Indian police officer, who after retirement, served as governor of Manipur, Mizoram and Jharkhand. He died in Goa at the age of 87 after a three-week hospitalisation. Early life ...
, though it did not get many spectacular results like in Black Thunder. * 12 May 1988: 1,000 NSG commandos (all ranks) surrounded the Golden Temple for yet another assault, in Operation Black Thunder II. Sniper teams armed with Heckler & Koch PSG-1 rifles with night scopes took up positions, including atop a 300-foot water tower. While commandos from the 51 SAG were divided into assault squadrons, the SRG was used to seal off the area around the temple and for tactical support. In the three-day operation between 15 and 18 May 1988, the NSG cleared the temple. 40 terrorists were killed, and 200 surrendered. In the mid-1990s, an NSG battalion was again deployed in Punjab to confront the Sikh rioters. There they began training the Punjab Police in counter-terrorism. * 5 September – 15 January 1988: Guarding of high-risk terrorist code-named 'Jack'. * 4 August 1989: Operation Mouse Trap in the Tarn Taran district, Punjab, in conjunction with Punjab Police and other security forces. NSG was able to demonstrate that it was possible to achieve area dominance at night if the strategy and tactics were right.
Ved Marwah Ved Prakash Marwah (15 September 1932 – 5 June 2020) was an Indian police officer, who after retirement, served as governor of Manipur, Mizoram and Jharkhand. He died in Goa at the age of 87 after a three-week hospitalisation. Early life ...
calls this Operation Night Dominance. * 10 November 1990: NSG task force flown to Kolkata to rescue hostages of a Thai Airbus by Burmese students. * 25–26 January 1991: The NSG was involved in Operation Ani Ben, on CI tasks in
Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
, (Gujarat) where Punjab terrorists were holed up inside a house. Two terrorists were killed and two
AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...
s were recovered. * 1 July-20 September 1991: NSG employed along with SIT in search and strike missions after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. * 25 November – 16 December 1992: 150 commandos were deployed at Ayodhya during the Ram Janambhoomi and Babri Masjid crisis. * 27 March 1993: 52 SAG mobilised and moved to Adampur for the rescue of hostages of Indian Airlines Flight IC 486. * 24–25 April 1993: NSG Commandos stormed a hijacked Indian Airlines Boeing 737 with 141 passengers on board at Amritsar airport during Operation Ashwamedh. Two hijackers, including their leader, Mohammed Yousuf Shah, were killed and one was disarmed before any hostages were harmed. * October 1998: As part of the implementation of the Union Home Ministry's decision to conduct pro-active strikes against militants, commando teams supported by IAF Mi-25/35 helicopter gun-ships began striking at terrorist groups deep inside the mountains and forests of Kashmir. After helicopter reconnaissance was conducted to pinpoint the militants, the commandos – comprising NSG and Rashtriya Rifles personnel – were para-dropped, along with supplies, into the area to hunt the militants. They had to rely on these supplies and their ability to live off the land until replenishment every fortnight or so. These missions are possibly ongoing. * 15 July 1999: NSG commandos ended a 30-hour standoff by killing two terrorists and rescuing all 12 hostages unharmed in J&K. The terrorists had attacked a BSF campus near Srinagar, and killed three officers and the wife of another. The 12 hostages were kept locked in a room. * 21 August 1999: After interrogating three captured terrorists, the Delhi Police Crime branch confirmed that two more terrorists were hiding in a one-storied house in Rudrapur, Uttar Pradesh. Since the terrorists were considered armed and dangerous (their colleagues were arrested with 100+ pounds of RDX), the Delhi Police sought assistance from the NSG. A 16-man team arrived at the house at 4:45  am. They began their assault at 5:30  am, before first light. The first militant managed to fire at the commandos with a pistol he kept by his bedside, but was killed an instant later. The second terrorist was shot before he had a chance to fire and died 40 minutes later. No NSG personnel were injured. * December 1999: Terrorists hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC814 from
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, and landed in
Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
. Within minutes of landing, the Crisis Management Group (CMG), which authorised the use of the NSG, was informed. But the CMG wasted precious hours and by the time the go-ahead was issued, it was too late. On the other hand, the NSG team on alert was elsewhere and no other team was raised during the delay. The hijacked plane took off before the NSG reached Amritsar Airport. The plane landed in
Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
,
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
where one hostage was killed. Finally, the Indian Government agreed to the terrorists' demands to release three jailed terrorists. The hostages were released and the terrorists escaped to Pakistan. * February 2000: Following the Flight IC 814 fiasco, the Indian Government decided to implement an Air Marshaling programme. At least two NSG operators were to be present on flights over select routes. These operators would be armed with weapons firing lethal, but low-velocity, fragmentation rounds to minimise danger to the passengers and prevent penetration of the aircraft. Another decision taken was to deploy NSG teams permanently at eight sensitive airports around the country, especially those bordering Pakistan and the North East. This decision was to cut short reaction times for the NSG and eliminate the hassles involved in flying the teams to the hijack site. It is not known if this plan has been put into action. * September 2002 – SAG commandos flew to
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
to catch sandalwood smuggler and forest brigand
Veerappan Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian poacher, smuggler, domestic terrorist and Banditry, bandit who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwoo ...
in the wake of the kidnapping of a former minister of the state cabinet, Nagappa. They pulled out after suggesting that intelligence for the operation was inadequate. A small team was left behind to help, the hostage was eventually killed in December 2002. * October 2002 – Two terrorists attacked the Akshardham temple complex in Gujarat. NSG flew in, delayed by traffic in Delhi. They carried out assaults in which one commando was killed and another one was seriously injured and died after 18 months in a
coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...
. By morning, the terrorists were neutralised and the operation was completed successfully. * December 2002 – Terrorists attacked the Raghunath temple in
Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...
. NSG was ready to be flown out but was called back at the last minute. *
2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11 attacks, were a series of coordinated Islamic terrorism, Islamist terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist o ...
Operation Black Tornado and Operation Cyclone to flush out terrorists & rescue hostages after multiple attacks across
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, India. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Havaldar Gajender Singh Bisht of the NSG's 51 Special Action Group were killed in action during the operations. Over 900 rooms were scanned, 8 terrorists killed and over 600 hostages rescued during the operation. * 2013 Hyderabad blasts – Deployed in
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
after the bomb blasts. * 2013 Bangalore Bomb Blast – NSG was deployed in
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
after the bomb blast took place in the city. * 2013 Patna bombings – A team of the NSG, which was sent to
Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...
for post-blasts analysis, said at least three more Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were defused. * 2016 Pathankot attack – An NSG team took part in the operation to neutralise terrorists where Lt. Col. Niranjan lost his life defusing a grenade or IED booby-trapped on the body of a dead terrorist, and 12 other members of the unit were injured. Six terrorists were neutralised in the operation by the NSG,
Defence Security Corps The Defence Security Corps (DSC), is a corps of the Indian Army responsible for providing security cover to the defence installations of the three services (Indian Army, Army, Indian Navy, Navy, Indian Air Force, Air Force) and other sensitive ...
and the
Garud Commando Force The Garud Commando Force is the special forces of the Indian Air Force. It was formed on 6 February 2004 and with a plan to have around 2,000-personnel strength. The unit derives its name from ''Garuda'', a Hindu deity. Garud forces are tasked ...
* May 2023 – A team of NSG Commandos was deployed in
Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
, Jammu & Kashmir along with a team of
MARCOS Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) * Marcos family Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Né ...
Commandos to provide security to the
G20 The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stabil ...
delegates during the 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar during May 22–24.


Roles

The NSG is a 'contingency deployment force' which generally intervenes during serious terrorist attacks. It has been described as "New Delhi’s go-to response force in worst case scenarios". As a specialized counter-terrorism force, it is intended to be used "only in exceptional situations" and is not meant to take over the functions of the State Police Forces or other Central Armed Police Forces. A small unit of the NSG has been present in Kashmir since 2018, when the proposal to deploy around 100 commandos in Kashmir to support the Indian forces in high risk operations was approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The NBDC, which is a specialized agency operating within the NSG, has also occasionally supported local law enforcement by conducting Post Blast Investigations.


Organisation

The organisation was initially inspired by and modelled on the British
Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...
as well as Germany's
GSG 9 , formerly , is the police tactical unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The unit is responsible for combatting terrorism and violent crime, including organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-H ...
. Mehram Nagar, Palam, serves as the administrative headquarters for the NSG. The headquarters is overseen by the Director-General of the NSG, who is assisted in administrative matters by four
Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Empire. Along with the Indian Admini ...
officers, out of whom two are Inspectors Generals at the Administrative Headquarters. They are in turn assisted by the Deputy Inspectors General of the NSG. The Financial Advisor of the NSG is generally an officer with the rank of Joint Secretary belonging to the Central Accounts Services and is assisted by two Deputy Financial Advisors belonging of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and the Indian Civil Accounts Service respectively. A small unit of the NSG is present near Palam Nagar.
Manesar Manesar is a town and municipal corporation, known as New gurgaon city in the Gurugram district of the state of Haryana, India and a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. It is an Industrial Model Township home to factories and ...
is the operational headquarters of the NSG. An
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
Major general who is deputed to NSG Manesar headquarters is designated as the Inspector General of NSG's operations. The Inspector General is responsible for the planning and conducting of operations. Training is overseen by the Inspector General of Training, also a major general on deputation from the army. Both of them are further assisted by the Deputy Inspector General of Operations and the Deputy Inspector General of Training respectively. The combat arms of the NSG consist of two Special Action Groups and three Special Ranger Groups stationed at its Manesar headquarters, five Special Composite Groups posted at each of its five regional hubs as well as the National Bomb Data Centre and the Electronic Support Centre also based at its operational headquarters in Manesar.


Special Action Groups (SAG)

The NSG has two Special Action Groups – the 51 Special Action Group and the 52 Special Action Group. The 51 Special Action Group was the first unit to be set up when the NSG was created in 1986. The 51 SAG is tasked with
counterterrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and Intelligence agency, intelligence ...
and counter insurgency operations while the 52 SAG deals with anti-hijacking operations and is also known as "Hijack Busters". The smallest operational unit within a Special Action Group is called a hit and consists of 5 members: two pairs (partners) and a technical support member. Four hits make a team that is led by a "Team Commander". SAG personnel are drawn from the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
. The 51 SAG used to be the primary combat arm of the NSG with the SRGs serving in support roles until the 2010s when the 52 SAG was formed and the 11 SRG, along with the 51 SAG was made a part of the counter-terrorism force (CTF).


Special Ranger Groups (SRG)

NSG has three Special Ranger Groups (SRG) – 11, 12 & 13. Special Ranger Groups are organised into
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
lines. The SRG was initially the logistic arm of the NSG which performed low-risk combat roles such as cordons. Later, they were being used almost exclusively for VIP security. In 2012, the role of the 11 SRG was elevated to that of SAG units, and the 11 SRG was made a part of the counter-terrorism force (CTF) which included the 51 SAG and 11 SRG. However, the other two SRGs continued to be used for VIP security purposes until October 2024 when the central government decided to withdraw it from VVIP protection duties. SRG members are drawn mainly from the Central Armed Police Force personnel.


Special Composite Group (SCG)

Special Composite Groups are stationed at the regional hubs of the National Security Guard. Special Composite Group units consisting of personnel from both, the Indian Army and the
Central Armed Police Forces The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) consist of seven armed police organizations under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, tasked with maintaining internal security, law and order, counterinsurgency, and protecting borde ...
, and respond to incidents that happen near their hubs. Each SCG is headed by an officer with the rank of
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
on deputation from the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
who serves with the rank of 'Group Commander'. The five SCG units are: *26 SCG
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
*27 SCG
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
*28 SCG
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
*29 SCG
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
*30 SCG
Gandhinagar Gandhinagar () is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the industrial corridor between the megacities of Delhi and Mumbai. Gandhinagar ...


Electronic Support Group (ESG)

The electronic support group is based at the NSG's headquarters at
Manesar Manesar is a town and municipal corporation, known as New gurgaon city in the Gurugram district of the state of Haryana, India and a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. It is an Industrial Model Township home to factories and ...
. It provides communicational and technological assistance to support the operations of the NSG. The group is headed by an officer with the rank of "Group Commander" serving on deputation from the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
.


National Bomb Data Centre

The National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) was established in the year 1988 and redefined its role in the year 2000. NBDC was assigned the role of monitoring, recording, and analyzing all bombing incidents in the country. It also records and analyses various bombing incidents across the world to gain expert knowledge in bombing and related incidents to effectively counter such situations and share information with relevant security agencies. NBDC also performs research and development in the field of
explosives engineering Explosives engineering is the field of science and engineering which is related to examining the behavior and usage of explosive materials. Topics Some of the topics that explosives engineers study, research, and work on include: * Developmen ...
. The NBDC act as a nodal agency for all bombing related facets in the country. It is headed by a Group Commander who is either an Army officer with the rank of '
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
' or a Central Armed Police Force officer belonging to any force apart from the NSG itself with the rank of '
Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
'.


Regional deployment

In response to the criticism received by the force for its failure to quickly arrive in Mumbai during the
2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11 attacks, were a series of coordinated Islamic terrorism, Islamist terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist o ...
, from its base in
Manesar Manesar is a town and municipal corporation, known as New gurgaon city in the Gurugram district of the state of Haryana, India and a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. It is an Industrial Model Township home to factories and ...
, Haryana, the
Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...
decided to deploy NSG contingents in major regions across India in order to avoid the occurrence of such situations in the future. Each hub of the NSG is headed by an officer called the Director General of the Hub.


New Delhi

The regional hub in New Delhi is designated for Web Information Management.


Mumbai

The Mumbai regional hub is spread across 20.28 acres and has been constructed for Rs. 56.10 crore by the National Building Construction Corporation Limited. It has accommodation for the families of the commandos as well. Approximately 241 commandos will be housed there.


Hyderabad

Hyderabad is the regional hub of the National Security Guard for the region of South India. Its training center is located near
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
,
Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. With the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) giving its nod and sanctioning in 2017, the Southern Regional Centre (SRC) was established at Ibrahimpatnam, Hyderabad for training commandos. The hub land area is and constructed at a cost of . The Hyderabad hub of the 28 Special Composite Group (SCG) of the NSG is among the five regional hubs in the country. By 2018, 300 commandos were stationed at the NSG hub at Trimulgherry. The state has two trained anti-terror striking forces. Besides the NSG, the
Telangana Police The Telangana Police, officially known as the, Telangana Police Department is the law enforcement agency for the state of Telangana in India. It has jurisdiction concurrent with the 33 revenue districts of the state. The police force was create ...
's counter-terrorist group,
OCTOPUS An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...
, also has a training facility in the same neighborhood at Ibrahimpatnam, that has a strength of over 250 personnel.Central nod for 'Black Cats' training campus near Hyderabad – Times Of India
Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com (24 June 2013). Retrieved on 2013-08-17.
NSG and
OCTOPUS An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...
personnel undergo a grueling training process. The commandos are sent back to their parent department when they reach the age of 35, ensuring that the force remains young and physically fit for combat operations.


Chennai

NSG Chennai Hub was established in 2009 as the third regional hub. Till 2012, the commandos were temporarily stationed at Ashok Nagar when the permanent facility was inaugurated by India's then-home minister P.Chidambaram, with the training center lying between forests and hillocks at Nedungundram off the Vandalur- Kelambakkam Road.


Kolkata

Kolkata became the regional hub of the NSG for the region of East India in 2009, becoming the 4th such hub in the country. The
Salt Lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...
campus was supposed to serve as its main base until the construction of its planned permanent facility at Badu in
Madhyamgram Madhyamgram is a city and a municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). History Madhyamgram was one of the twelve feudal ...
(
North 24 Parganas North 24 Parganas (abv. 24 PGS (N)) or sometimes North Twenty Four Parganas is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the tropical zone from latitude 22° 11′ 6″ north to 23° 15′ 2″ north and ...
) was fully completed. In 2012, the permanent facility was inaugurated by India's then Home Minister
P. Chidambaram Palaniappan Chidambaram (born 16 September 1945), better known as P. Chidambaram, is an Indian politician and lawyer who currently serves as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. He served as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee o ...
. The NSG hub in Kolkata had about 241 commandos by then, but the regional hub was still incomplete. On 1st March 2020, the fully complete 29 Special Composite Group complex was inaugurated by the Home Minister
Amit Shah Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...
at
New Town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...
,
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
.


Gandhinagar

In July 2018, NSG operationalized its fifth regional hub at
Gandhinagar Gandhinagar () is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the industrial corridor between the megacities of Delhi and Mumbai. Gandhinagar ...
in
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
. The hub stands on 1.33 lakh sq m of land and contains training facilities, barracks, and logistical support for 100 NSG commandos


Future

NSG has proposed
Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
as a regional hub to improve its counteraction capabilities in
Northern India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...
. NSG has considered other cities or regions like
Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...
,
Pathankot Pathankot () is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the sixth most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipal ...
, and
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. In July 2024, an NSG team reached Ayodhya to carry out a 4-day exercise with coordination from other CAPF units and assess the security structure of the city. The NSG hub in Ayodhya is equipped with specialized weaponry and anti-drone technology that is expected to be operationalized along with support units of other CAPFs within a few months. The land allocation process for the hub has begun. The Ayodhya hub will be the first response center for NSG in
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
. After the establishment of these three hubs by 2024-end, there will be a total of eight NSG hubs in India.


Personnel

The NSG consists entirely of volunteers on deputation from the
Central Armed Police Forces The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) consist of seven armed police organizations under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, tasked with maintaining internal security, law and order, counterinsurgency, and protecting borde ...
, or the
State Police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...
departments and the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
. NSG commandos are sent back to their parent department after serving with the force for a certain period. The Director General of the National Security Guard is an officer from the
Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Empire. Along with the Indian Admini ...
. Women belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces have been serving in the NSG since 2012.


Ranks

;Officers ;Personnel below officer rank


Selection and training

Selection is demanding and has a dropout rate of about 70–80 percent. The NSG has a 14-month long training course, which spans three phases. The eligibility of trainees is assessed in the selection stage which consists of various tests related to the physical and psychological capabilities of the trainees. A cadet has to meet certain physical, psychological, and educational experience-related criteria to clear this stage. The second stage is selection and basic training which is conducted at the National Security Guard Academy in
Manesar Manesar is a town and municipal corporation, known as New gurgaon city in the Gurugram district of the state of Haryana, India and a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. It is an Industrial Model Township home to factories and ...
lasts for three months and is devoted to the basics. The physical fitness training is believed to have 26 elements, ranging from a cross-country obstacle course to jumping from heights and across divides and scaling different kinds of terrain. One endurance test involves martial arts, target shooting at the end of an obstacle-ridden cross-country run. Such exercises are supposedly meant to assess how the candidate would likely perform under stress and exhaustion. Those who complete the tests are sent for nine months of advanced training. Advanced training reportedly includes techniques related to hand-to-hand combat, intelligence gathering, demolition, bomb disposal, insertion, and reflex shooting. Well-publicised training exercises include the 'combat room shoot' where the candidates have to shoot at a target three seconds after entering a dark room with the help of a torchlight or a compatible laser image intensifier and 'twin room shooting' where candidates enter contiguous rooms and watch each other's movements on a screen which they have to shoot at to train their response time. Another known exercise requiring candidates to shoot at a target placed next to their buddy is also a part of the Indian Army Special Forces training. Shooting skills are practiced at a 400-meter, 11-zone electronic combat shooting range where candidates are rated on a point scale for covering the distance in 6.30 minutes and firing at 29 different dynamic targets with the target exposure time lying between two and three minutes. Before being inducted into the NSG, aspirants also have to undergo a rigorous
psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
test.


Joint Training Exercises

The NSG frequently participates in training exercises. The majority of them are with the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
's
Green Berets The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, is a branch of the United States Army United States Army Special Operations Comm ...
who regularly participate in training exercises with the NSG. The two forces conduct an annual counterterrorism training exercise called TARKASH.


Germany

After the
2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11 attacks, were a series of coordinated Islamic terrorism, Islamist terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist o ...
, the NSG decided to have a joint exercise with the German
GSG 9 , formerly , is the police tactical unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The unit is responsible for combatting terrorism and violent crime, including organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-H ...
. In November 2009, a team from NSG visited the GSG 9 headquarters. Joint training exercises between GSG 9 and NSG were subsequently conducted in
Manesar Manesar is a town and municipal corporation, known as New gurgaon city in the Gurugram district of the state of Haryana, India and a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. It is an Industrial Model Township home to factories and ...
.


United States

Exercise between NSG and
United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, is a branch of the United States Army United States Army Special Operations Comm ...
, code-named ''Balanced Iroquois'', started on 18 October 2015. This three-week-long exercise was preceded by a joint airborne jump at
Aero India Aero India is a biennial air show and aviation exhibition held in Bengaluru, India, at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. It is organised by the Defence Exhibition Organisation, Ministry of Defence. Organisers The Ministry of Defence, Indian A ...
2015. In February 2018,
Green Berets The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, is a branch of the United States Army United States Army Special Operations Comm ...
from the
1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) The 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) is a Division (military), division-level special operations forces command within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The command was first established in 1989 and reorganized in 2014 gro ...
conducted a joint training exercise with the NSG in
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
. The Green Berets learned some urban warfare strategies from the NSG while the NSG learned about some advanced equipment of the US soldiers. The drill included intervention techniques, training in the
Kolkata Metro The Kolkata Metro is a Urban rail transit in India, rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the Kolkata metropolitan area, Kolkata Metropolitan Region in West Bengal, India. Opened in 1984, it was the first operational rapid trans ...
system and a drill at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. In March 2019, the NSG and US
1st Special Forces Group The 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) (1st SFG) (A) is a unit of the U.S. Army Special Forces operating under the United States Pacific Command. It is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions throughout the Indo-Pacific Command ...
carried out joint exercises in
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
. The sixth edition of the TARKASH exercise between the NSG and the
1st Special Forces Group The 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) (1st SFG) (A) is a unit of the U.S. Army Special Forces operating under the United States Pacific Command. It is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions throughout the Indo-Pacific Command ...
from January 14 till the end of February 2023. In the same year, the Green Berets and the NSG held another training exercise focused on exchange of subject matter expertise related to
CBRN Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) or Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection (NBC protection) is a class of protective measures taken in situations where chemical, biological, radiological, or nucl ...
e threats at Manesar from June 19 till the end of the month ahead of the
G20 The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stabil ...
meeting in India. The Indian Army was also involved in the exercise.


Equipment


Small Arms


Drones

* Black Hornet Nano military micro
UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Drone ...
* 'Kamikaze' drone


Vehicles and transportation

* Remote-operated vehicle, which can transport 150  kg of
Improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...
. It can also transport biological, chemical, and nuclear radioactive materials * Maruti Suzuki Gypsy * Ford F550 Super Duty tactical ladder truck * Renault Sherpa Light armoured personnel carrier * Tata Harrier * The NSG has access to
Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...
transportation aircraft.


In popular culture

*The biographical movie ''
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
'' is based on the life of Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a team commander of the 51 Special Action Group who was killed in the line of duty during the NSGs response to the
2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11 attacks, were a series of coordinated Islamic terrorism, Islamist terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist o ...
. *'' State of Siege: Temple Attack'' is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language film based on the 2002 Akshardham Temple attack and NSGs subsequent operation to encounter and kill the perpetrators. *'' State of Siege: 26/11'' is a
Zee5 ZEE5 or Z5 is an Indian subscription video on demand and over-the-top streaming service, owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on We ...
web series that presents the 26/11 terror attack incident from the viewpoint of NSG commandos responding to the attacks. * NSG operators are depicted in the 2019 thriller ''
Hotel Mumbai ''Hotel Mumbai'' is a 2018 Independent film, independent action thriller film directed by Anthony Maras and co-written by Maras and John Collee. An Indian-Australian-American Co-production (media), co-production, it is inspired by the 2009 docu ...
'', which is based on the
2008 Mumbai attacks The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11 attacks, were a series of coordinated Islamic terrorism, Islamist terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist o ...
. * In the 2023 action thriller ''
Kill Kill often refers to: *Homicide, one human killing another *cause death, to kill a living organism, to cause its death Other common uses include: *Kill (body of water), a body of water, most commonly a creek *Kill (command), a computing command *K ...
'', The main protagonist is an NSG commando. * The NSG commandos are depicted in the 2023 action thriller '' Jawan'', during the metro train hijacking situation at Mumbai,
Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
. * In the 2025 action thriller
Malayalam-language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
film ''
Identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...
'', The main protagonist is a former NSG commando and an active Sky Marshal. * '' Keerthi Chakra'' is a 2006 Indian
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
-language
war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...
written and directed by
Major Ravi Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army, former National Security Guard commando, film actor and film director predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and some films in Tamil and Hindi. He was aw ...
,The film is based on true events related to incidents that took place in Jammu and Kashmir.Main protagonist is an
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
officer deputed to the National Security Guards (NSG)


See also

*
Central Armed Police Forces The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) consist of seven armed police organizations under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, tasked with maintaining internal security, law and order, counterinsurgency, and protecting borde ...
*
Paramilitary forces of India Paramilitary Forces of India refer to a group of 10 armed organisations responsible for supporting the Indian military and ensuring internal security. List of paramilitary forces From 1986 to 2011 the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were ...
* Special Forces of India *
Special Protection Group The Special Protection Group (SPG) is an agency under the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India, whose sole responsibility is protecting the Prime Minister of India and, in some cases, their family. It was formed in 1988 by an Act of ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Non-military counterterrorist organizations 1986 establishments in Delhi Specialist law enforcement agencies of India Government agencies established in 1986 Central Armed Police Forces of India