Indian Black Cats trained Mahinda’s security guards

BY S VENKAT NARAYAN
Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, October 18:

India’s elite National Security Guard (NSG) has trained a group of personnel who protect Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Revealing this here on Friday, NSG Director General SS Deswal said: “The NSG Close Protection Force (CPF) has trained 21 personnel of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s security division in close protection skills.”

Rajapaksa wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and praised the training, Deswal added.

The NSG, also known as Black Cat Commandos, was raised as a federal contingency force in 1984 to undertake specialist counter terrorist, counter hijack and hostage rescue operations.

It has a special component, called the CPF, which provides security to high-risk VIPs under the top category Z+ cover. It has about 13 protectees, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.

Deswal said the NSG has remotely operated vehicles, satellite communications system, armoured robots, unmanned aerial vehicle detection radar system, and anti-drone capabilities.