Special Group (India)
Special Group | |
---|---|
Active | 1981–present |
Country | India |
Branch | Research and Analysis Wing |
Type | Special forces[1] |
Size | 4 squadrons (Each squadron consisting of 100 operatives) |
Headquarters | Sarsawa AFS, Uttar Pradesh[2] |
Nickname(s) | The Mavericks[3] |
The Special Group (SG) is the
Established in 1981, it was raised in the following year under Project Sunray. Its existence was previously unknown to the public.
History
Origins
The Special Group was created in 1981 as a classified unit under
The original mandate of the SG was similar to that of the British Special Air Service and included counterterrorism and hostage rescue. However, this mandate was later transferred to the National Security Guard. The current mandate of the SG is not fully known.[4]
Security at International summits in 1983
The Non-Aligned Movement summit and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1983 was conducted under the direct vigil of the SG to prevent any untoward event.[6] The Non-Aligned summit was particularly important since it would cement India's position as the leader of the movement.[8]
Operation Sundown
The operation was never started due to the then
Other options such as negotiations subsequently failed and the law and order situation in Punjab continued to deteriorate.[11][10][12]
Operation Blue Star
External image | |
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Two Special Group officers at the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star.[6] Note the distinctive black uniforms[7] and the damaged structure in the background. |
By the end of 1983, the security situation in
A senior officer from the British
The Special Group was responsible for the eventual death of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and Shabeg Singh during Operation Blue Star, despite the 1 Para (SF) claiming credit for it.[2] This is associated with the fact that they were shot dead using AK-47 rifles. Such rifles, which were purchased secretly from Europe, were present exclusively with the SG at that time.[2]
Prime Ministerial security till 1985
In the aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, SG personnel provided security to the Prime Minister of India until the creation of the Special Protection Group in 1985.[6]
Black operations
The Special Group has undertaken black operations outside India.[2] In the late 1980s, it rescued a political prisoner in Bangladesh after being ordered to do so by the Prime Minister of India.[2] After a civil war started in Sri Lanka in 1983, India used it as an opportunity to curtail foreign influence in the country; India provided training and equipment to the militant groups fighting in the war.[16] The Special Group was involved in providing training assistance to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,[2] the most prominent militant group.[16]
Planned raid near Kahuta nuclear facility
During the 1999
Planned operation in Kandahar, Afghanistan
When the Indian Airlines flight 814 was forced by hijackers to land in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in December 1999 the SG was instructed to be ready for a potential rescue effort. Their mission was to clear a path for the National Security Guard to enable them to reach the aircraft and conduct an anti-hijacking operation. The plan entailed eliminating the members of the Taliban in the vicinity of the aircraft. However, public pressure eventually forced the Indian government to scrap the plan.[2] The government agreed to the demand of the hijackers to swap imprisoned militants in exchange for the civilian passengers.[17]
Counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir
The Special Group are known to be involved in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the Jammu and Kashmir region across the Line of Control.[5][2]
Overview
Organisation
The Special Group functions under the Directorate General of Security (DG Security) of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), which is India's foreign intelligence agency.[5][18] The unit serves under the command of the prime minister through the Cabinet Secretariat.[2][6] Within RAW, the Secretary (Research) is responsible for the Special Group.[19]
The SG is headquartered at
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Special Group includes clandestine intelligence operations and
Training and equipment
The Special Group is considered to be the most capably trained special forces unit of India and is considered to be very well equipped.[6][2] The SG is reportedly provided with the newest equipment and it uses the transport aircraft of the Aviation Research Centre.[4]
Notes
- ^ The Special Group is different from the Vikas battalions of the Special Frontier Force; the name "4 Vikas" was given to it to create confusion. The designation of "22 SF" was given to the SG when it was deployed in Jammu and Kashmir (for counter-insurgency operations) to conceal the real name of the unit; obituaries for SG personnel who died carried this name. The number 22 in this designation is in succession with the number 21 in Indian Army‘s 21 Para (SF).[4]
- Indian government rejected this proposal; SG later decided to stick to its own training facility.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "RAW facilitated Britain's SAS officer's India visit". Hindustan Times. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Close encounters of the covert kind". The Week. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ "With added emphasis on Special Forces, the army is set to change the face of war". FORCE. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Vats, Rohit (7 September 2020). "How India's covert Tibetan unit has been mauling terrorism all these years". India Today. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Special Group: Warriors of stealth". Hindustan Times. 9 February 2014. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Unnithan, Sandeep (30 November 1999). "Operation Bluestar: The league of shadows". India Today. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Israel's invisible hand behind Operation Blue Star of 1984". India Today. 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ "India takes charge of Non-aligned Movement with uncustomary authority". India Today. 31 March 1983. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d Unnithan, Sandeep. "Indira Gandhi considered secret commando raid before Operation Bluestar". India Today. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ a b Swami, Praveen (16 January 2014). "RAW chief consulted MI6 in build-up to Operation Bluestar". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^
- ^ Singh, Parmjeet (February 2014). "Operation Sundown – Plan to abduct Sant Bhindranwale from Guru Nanak Niwas in Dec. 1983 – More chapters of black history of India coming into light". Sikh Siyasat News. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- ^ a b "FACTBOX-India's role in Sri Lanka's civil war". Reuters. 17 October 2008. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ "RAW chief Rajinder Khanna to hold charge of DG Security". The Economic Times. 21 March 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ a b Unnithan, Sandeep (5 September 2020). "The Tibetan ghost warriors". India Today. See graphic (archived copy). Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
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