2019-11-26 Tue

The cost of freedom is always high. Gaining independence is not just enough, you have to keep sacrificing for keeping that freedom intact. Along with the Defence Services of India, there are other special forces and services dedicated for combating terrorism and internal insurgencies. National Security Guards (NSG) is one such force established "for combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances".

NSG is a Special Force with its core operational capability provided by the Special Action Group (SAG) drawn from the Indian Army. The NSG personnel are often referred to in the media as Black Cats because of the black outfit and black cat insignia worn on their uniform.

The NSG was set up in 1984 as a Federal Contingency Deployment Force to tackle terrorism in the country. As a specialized counter terrorism force, it is intended for use "only in exceptional situations" and not meant to take over the "functions of the State Police Forces or other Para Military Forces".

The motto of the force is “??????? ????????? ???????” (Sanskrit) or “Omnipresent omnipotent security” (English). Some of the Significant Operations undertaken by the National Security Guard are: Black Thunder; Ashwamedh; Combat missions in Jammu and Kashmir; Vajra Shakti; Black Tornado.

Operation Black Tornado was carried out by the Black Cats to flush out the attackers of the 26/11 Mumbai Attcak. The Operation culminated in the death of the last remaining attackers at the Taj Hotel and ended the four day long Mumbai terror attacks.

Working alongside Mumbai Police, Rapid Action Force and Marine Commandos, the NSGs secured the city against a Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. 15 Policemen and 2 Commandos were martyred along with over 170 casualties. We at Mintage World, salute the bravery and sacrifice of those martyred!

A Special Cover was released on the 33rd raising day of National Security Guard n 16th October 2017 at New Delhi.

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