The only two helicopters available with the National Security Guard (NSG), India’s counter-terror force, have been grounded. It requires air mobility to cover short distances in case of a terror attack, but the force has been without a helicopter for two years.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the functioning of the NSG on Monday. At the hour-long meeting, he was briefed by NSG Director-General Sudhir Pratap Singh and other officials. The Director-General informed the Minister that while an MI-5 helicopter crash-landed two years ago, the other was unfit to fly. “One option is to request the BSF’s air wing for at least two helicopters on a 24/7 basis. The Air Force is also there. Though the NSG can requisition any commercial airline, to move forces..., helicopters are required to make intervention in a small area,” an official of the Home Ministry said. Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi attended the meeting.
Regional hubs
The NSG was set up in 1984 as a federal contingency deployment force to tackle terrorism. After the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the government opened regional hubs of the NSG in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata to reduce reaction time.
