National Security Guard (NSG) Commandos with the Indian Air Force and other agencies carried out a mock counter-terrorism drill onboard a cruise ship on the Ganga River in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi. The codename of the mock drill was 'Operation Ganga Guard'.
Conducted at the Ravi Das ghat to "validate India's response capabilities against an escalating threat to its inland waterways and river cruise industry", the mock drill, besides NSG, was joined by commandos of the Uttar Pradesh police, apart from officials of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for the exercise, noted the official statement.
The drill simulated a scenario of a cruise vessel under terrorist siege, along with hostages and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
NSG 'black cat' commandos slithered down from an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper onto the vessel. NSG divers and assault teams on speedboats also joined the exercise.
"The drill comes amid a rising interest in river cruises, making them potential targets, and the NSG is practising to stay ahead of the curve. The inclusion of the IAF and IWAI underscores the need for a unified command structure when tackling crises on the nation's waterways," cited the statement.
The NSG was raised in 1984 and it is tasked with specific counter-terror and counter-seige operations apart from providing security cover to select high-risk VIPs.
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