Picture this: There’s smoke everywhere, you hear gunshots and firing, and finally, screams that echo across the Tehri hills in Uttarakhand. When the smoke clears, you see women in uniform emerge on scene with the perpetrators in tow. Yes, we understand that this seems like it’s straight out of a movie scene, but this is exactly what you’ll witness at the Police Training Centre in Narendra Nagar of the Tehri district. It’s a matter of pride because, in a first, a squad of 22 women are undergoing gruelling training exercises to become the first all-women Anti-Terrorism Squad of the state.
These 22 commandoes are being trained in anti-terrorist operations with the latest methodologies and facilities of commando operations at the Police Training College (PTC). “The all-women unit is being trained as per the vision of honourable Chief Minister. We want to make a statement in the spirit that women are no less than men, but even better. The unit will work as an Anti-Terrorism Squad in the hill state starting with Mahakumbh 2021 as its first major assignment,” Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar told The New Indian Express (TNIE).
According to officials at the police department, these commandos are being trained in counter-terrorism, the evolution of commando operations worldwide, along with a new methodology of operations, modern weaponry, as well as Krav Maga, a combination of martial art developed by Israeli defence forces, comprising judo, karate, boxing, wrestling, and aikido developed by the Israel Defence Forces. An IPS officer from the 2006 batch stated that this move was the vision of the state’s Chief Minister as well as DGP Kumar as a way to empower women and inspire others to take the lead. “The elite all-women unit is one of the most advanced commando units in northern India. They are being provided training in the best available and toughest format. The training module also includes high altitude operations, city and jungle operations, indoor classes, and all the latest concepts of commando training,” he told TNIE.
If the strenuous training, strict diet, and lessons in combat were not enough, the unit also practices Yoga, meditation, and training sessions with famed motivational speakers.
From the initial selection of 38 female operatives, only 22 have managed to complete and reach the required standards, including two sub-inspectors. The team has now completed their required pre-commando training in Haridwar for the first quarter, and will now join the PTC for advanced training.
Image courtesy: Twitter/Vineet Upadhyay (@VineetTNIE)