Fending off a ‘terror attack’

Metro intervention training programme organised as part of the counter-terrorism drill

With MP5 guns in their hands and pistols in their holsters, over 100 well-trained NSG commandos were deployed at Alandur Metro station.

Around 11 a.m. on Friday, a train packed with passengers waiting to leave the Alandur station was ‘hijacked’ by terrorists.

In the next few minutes, gun-wielding men, dressed in black, arrive at the station and through a well-planned ‘operation’ that lasts two hours, nab the terrorists and free the hostages.

If you thought this was a scene from a movie, you would be way off the mark. This was part of a drill organised by the National Security Guard (NSG) commandos in coordination with Chennai Metro Rail Corporation and the city and state police.

“It is known as a Metro intervention training programme organised as part of the counter terrorism drill. It is conducted across all the Metro Rail stations in the country. This is the first time it was conducted here,” said a senior Chennai Metro Rail official.

With MP5 guns in their hands and pistols in their holsters, over 100 well-trained NSG men were all over the station. They were led by Major N. Praveen Kumar of NSG along with his team of officers and 100 commandos.

Coordination levels

“It was a training to assess the level of co-ordination between all the agencies that could be expected in the event of an emergency. Right from the security personnel at the station to the NSG commandos, every one had a role to play,” said the official.

A train was brought to the station just for the drill.

“There were no passengers in it. The commandos themselves acted as passengers and terrorists. They were seen crawling beneath trains to take the terrorists by surprise,” an official added.

For the many bystanders, including police constables, watching NSG commandos in action was an exciting experience.

“During the Mumabi attacks, we saw them on television as they slid down from helicopters. It was more exciting to see them in action here, at close quarters,” said a police officer.

N. K. Senthamaraikannan, IPS, Inspector General of Police (Operations), Thiru Santhosh Kumar, IPS., SP, Commando Force,Thiru K. Sajith Kumar, SP, Commando Force, Thiru G. Ramar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Security, Chennai Police and other officers of CMRL were present during the operation.