Commandos of India's elite counter terror force, National Security Guards, are being given better gear to protect them from head and eye injuries, drawing lessons from operations like the Pathankot terror siege. The commandos will now wear new bullet proof helmets with shatter proof glass to prevent any serious injuries to the face and eyes.
There has been much criticism about the government failing to equip its security forces in the face of mounting terror attacks, the latest being the case of NSG commando Naik Rajesh Negi who had suffered splinter injuries in his eye during the Pathankot operation in January 2016.
Negi had been referred to the Army Research and Referral Hospital after a splinter pierced his left eye when the terrorists lobbed a grenade at him. His vision got impaired, but the incident prompted the government to equip its counter terror force with gear that can withstand heavy assault like the ones during the Mumbai and Pathankot terror operations .
Negi's sacrifice is expected to help his colleagues who are being trained everyday to carry out speedy counter terror measures in situations where there has been a terror siege with people taken hostage or where terrorists get holed up in public places.
Sources told THE WEEK that the force been improvising the gear of the elite commando force. The bullet proof helmets have shatter proof glass and have been tried and tested , said a senior official .
According to the NSG DG Sudhir Pratap Singh, India and its neighbourhood bear the scourge of terrorism where the country's borders are incessantly under attack .The NSG has listed threats from jihadi terrorism, lone wolf attacks and social media radicalisation as the three biggest challenges for the security establishment.