Every step of their boot-clad feet, every movement of the eyeball, every swing of the arm — all of them were orchestrated with the orders yelled out by Parade Commander, Assistant Commandant-Probationer Zahid Ali, as they marched past Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Director-General-Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Arvind Ranjan.
The serene environs of the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA), a premier training institution of the CISF reverberated to the clickety-clack of boots and of palms slapping the butts of rifles at the colourful, ceremonial ‘Dikshant’ (Passing Out) Parade. The applause from friends and family members never seemed to stop, on Sunday, as NISA Director Anil Kumar, proudly watched.
Those who passed out included 39 Assistant Commandants and 596 Sub-Inspectors, including 68 women. In what was described as a first, Lady SIs of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy also underwent the training. After the parade, there were different demonstrations of reflex shooting by constables using AK 47 and Insas 5.56 combat weapons with blank rounds, One-Minute Drill on Weapons Training, Silent Drill, Gymnastics and a rope demo, apart from a Naga dance.
However, what stood out and caught the attention and imagination of the audience was a demonstration of VIP security that aptly showcased what could be a real-life situation. A few dozens of cadets acting as the audience at a public meeting, security personnel going about their detail, the arrival of a ‘neta’, an attempt to take his life by an assassin and how it is thwarted, including a half-a-dozen ‘stun’ grenades - all these showed the diversity of a CISF jawan’s functions.
Prize-winners included ACs Zahid Ali and Kamlesh Bali for coming ‘All Round Best’ in the 28 and 8 batches respectively. Others from the 40 batch SIs who did exceptionally well were Rajesh Singh (All Round Best & Best in Outdoor Training), Rakesh Kumar (Best in Firing) and Suman Yadav (Best in Indoor Training).
