DEHRADUN: Firing, gunshots, smoke, and screams echo in the hills of Tehri. Women in uniform appear on the scene and bam bam. Terrorists neutralized!
Seems straight out of a movie script, this is one of the real-life scenes in the Police Training Center in Narendra Nagar where a squad of 22 women is getting through a gruelling routine to become the first all-women Anti-Terrorism Squad' of Uttarakhand.
A team of 22 all-women commandoes is being trained in anti-terrorist operations with the latest conceptualizations and facilities of commando operations in Police Training College (PTC) in Narendra Nagar of Tehri district of Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said, "The all-women unit is being trained as per the vision of honorable Chief Minister. We want to make a statement in the spirit that women are no less than men but even better. The unit will work as an 'Anti-Terrorism Squad' in the hill state starting from Mahakumbh 2021 as its first major assignment."
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The officials from the police department said that the commandoes are being trained in counter-terrorism, a new methodology of operations, the evolution of commando operations worldwide, modern weaponry along with Krav Maga.
Rajeev Swaroop, 2006 batch IPS officer, and director of the PTC said, "This is the vision of our honorable Chief Minister and DGP Ashok Kumar Sir to realize the women empowerment and inspire others to take the lead. The elite all-women unit is one of the most advanced commando units in northern India. They are being provided training in the best available and toughest format. "
Krav Maga is a combination of martial art that includes elements of judo, karate, boxing, wrestling, and aikido developed by the Israel Defence Forces.
"The training module also includes high altitude operations, city and jungle operations, indoor classes, and all the latest concepts of commando training," added Swaroop.
Apart from gruelling diet, training, and another routine the unit is also provided courses in Yoga practice, meditation, and sessions from famed motivational speakers.
Initially, a total of 38 women were selected out of which only 22 have reached the requisite standards of the commando training including two sub-inspector rank police officers.
The team finished pre-commando training of the first quarter in Haridwar before joining the PTC for further advanced training.