NEW DELHI: The National Security Guard (NSG), India’s elite federal counter-terrorism force, is set to open its seventh regional hub in Ayodhya by the end of September, with the facility expected to strengthen the country’s emergency response to terrorist attacks across Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states, officials said.
The new hub will have a defined area of responsibility covering Uttar Pradesh as well as parts of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and other strategically important regions. Once operational, NSG commandos stationed at Ayodhya will remain available round the clock to respond swiftly to major terror incidents and other exceptional security contingencies.
Officials familiar with the preparations said the infrastructure and other arrangements for the new facility are nearly complete. The formal opening date is expected to be announced after the necessary clearances from the Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre.
“If things go as per schedule, the seventh regional hub of the NSG will be opened by the end of September,” an official said, adding that the facility would strengthen the country’s security architecture in line with the Centre’s vision of an integrated and impregnable security grid.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to attend the inauguration. He had announced the establishment of the Ayodhya hub while addressing the NSG’s 41st Foundation Day celebrations at Manesar in October last year.
An NSG team headed by an officer in the rank of Group Commandant will be deployed at the Ayodhya facility and remain available 24x7, 365 days a year, the officials said. The deployment is expected to significantly reduce the time required to mobilise specialised counter-terror personnel to incidents in the region.
The Ayodhya hub will also serve as a major centre for training and coordination. The NSG is expected to step up tactical training programmes with anti-terror units of the Uttar Pradesh Police as well as Central Armed Police Forces deployed in the state. Such exercises are aimed at improving operational preparedness, coordination and the use of advanced counter-terror technologies.
The NSG currently operates six regional hubs in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Jammu. The addition of Ayodhya will expand the force’s geographical footprint and strengthen its ability to respond rapidly to threats across northern and central India.
Shah had earlier said the government would bring significant changes to the NSG’s operations and equip the force with cutting-edge technology. He had highlighted the force’s role in securing major public and religious events, including the Mahakumbh and Puri’s Rath Yatra, besides responding to terrorist attacks.
The NSG has been India’s nodal national counter-terrorism force since its formal creation in 1986. Established under the Ministry of Home Affairs, it is specially equipped and trained to deal with serious acts of terrorism and is intended to be deployed only in exceptional circumstances.
Over four decades, the force has participated in several high-profile operations, including Operation Ashwamedh, Operation Vajra Shakti and Operation Dhangu, besides responding to the Akshardham attack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. It has also conducted reconnaissance of more than 770 critical locations across the country and developed strategic plans and databases to assist in responding to potential terrorist threats.
Modelled broadly on the UK’s Special Air Service (SAS) and Germany’s GSG 9, the NSG follows the principle of a swift strike followed by immediate withdrawal from the theatre of operations. Its operational structure comprises the Special Action Group, consisting primarily of Army personnel, and Special Ranger Groups drawn from the Central Armed Police Forces and state police forces.