NSG conducted secret operations at BIA

BANGALORE: National Security Guards (NSG) commandos conducted a highly-secretive mock anti-hijack operation at the Bangalore International Airport (BIA) last week. The operation, first of its kind by NSG commandos at the BIA, was shrouded in secrecy, with not many details trickling out.Details with The New Indian Express show that the commandos did the exercise from 10.30 pm on October 29 (Saturday). “They did it at their command and in their own style. None knew the number of commandos involved and the type of operation,” sources said.The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) conducts anti-hijack drills every year with the support of various agencies at BIA. The commandos are said to have arrived by a civil flight a day before the operation and packed off quietly. “The drill profile and mission mode are not known,” sources said.When Express sought details on this undercover commando mission, Deepak Murudeshwar, assistant vice-president, BIA security, said: “I was on leave that day. I have no information,” he said, before ending the call.BIA officials have been given strict instructions not to give out any information about the drill. “This exercise is done at all Indian airports by the NSG. We, as an airport, have been warned not to comment on it,” said an official, pleading anonymity. The commandos are said to have checked the efficiency of the airport security, as mandated in the contingency manual. “Anti-hijack mission parameters like preparedness, reaction time and rescue modes might have been tested,” sources said.