Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today hailed the newly-trained Special Operations Group (SOG) commandos as a critical engine to boost the state's preparedness in countering terror and promised his government's full support to further strengthen the new unit.
Interacting with the trainee (SOG) commandos at the Commando Training Centre here, he said the use of non-conventional means of warfare by terrorists had necessitated the transformation of the state's counter-terror apparatus.
Amarinder was interacting with the commandos after witnessing various drills performed by them to showcase their capabilities and preparedness.
A total of 186 commandos (158 trainees and 17 instructors) participated in the drills, which included physical fitness, firing skills, field tactics, rappelling and slithering techniques, jumaring, storming and building intervention, according to an official release.
The instructors included elite trainers from the Indian Army, Para Special Forces, CPOs and NSG, inducted into the Punjab Police as a special case.
Underlining the need for such a specialized force, the Chief Minister observed that the intensity and gravity of 'fidayeen' strikes on Dinangar Police Station and on Pathankot air base had major ramifications for the border state.
Though the frequency of militant related incidents had come down considerably post conventional militancy period, there now existed a new and graver threat in the form of unconventional militancy, he added.
Noting that the dangers now emanate from both local militant outfits as well as cross border militant organisations like LeT, United Jehad Council, Jaish-E-Mohammed and Al Qaida, Amarinder said that Punjab's vulnerability to infiltration and smuggling of narcotics due to its geographical location had become more pronounced in recent years.
The state shares an international border of 553 km with Pakistan, besides 70 km boundary with Jammu and Kashmir, which makes it easy prey for drug smugglers, peddlers and militants, he said.
The Punjab police's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team with its limited strength could not serve the current counter-terrorism needs, said the Chief Minister.
In contrast, the newly formed SOG had strength of 10 times more than SWAT, with provisions for separate budget, promotional avenues, postings to districts after fixed tenure, and induction of new talent, the CM said.
Lauding the trainee SOGs, who would be completing their inaugural course by August end, Amarinder said the responsibility of safeguarding the state's frontiers lies on their strong shoulders.
In his introductory remarks, DGP Suresh Arora said the need for a specialized force was felt after the Dinanagar attack, which was finally translated into reality by the Chief Minister with his decision to set up SOG in August last year.
The total training period of 12 weeks for the SOG commandos would include specialized training by international forces, he said, adding that the possibility of sending them to Israel for training would also be explored.
The DGP said a zero revenue model had been followed in raising the SOG battalion, as the expenditure involved was equivalent to the amount spent on raising a normal battalion.
On the intervening night of January 1-2, 2016, terrorists had sneaked in from across the border and attacked Pathankot air base.The attack had claimed the lives of seven security personnel while four terrorists were killed
Earlier, three heavily-armed terrorists wearing army fatigues had stormed a police station in Dinanagar town in Gurdaspur district in July 27, 2015, killing seven persons, including a Superintendent of Police, before they were gunned down during a day-long operation.
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