Kolkata, July 20 (IANS) The National Security Guard (NSG) conducted a full-scale joint counter-hijack and counter-terrorist exercise at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBI) in Kolkata.

The exercise, conducted on the intervening night of July 18-19, was meticulously planned and coordinated with various airport stakeholders and security agencies to evaluate preparedness in the event of a complex security threat, said NSCBI sources.

“As part of the counter-hijack drill, a simulated hijack scenario involving an A320 aircraft with crew and 75 dummy passengers was initiated at 21.34 hours on July 18 when the air traffic control (ATC) received an emergency call from the ‘hijacked’ aircraft. The aerodrome committee was immediately convened, and the aircraft was positioned at the isolation bay for containment,” said an NSCBI insider.

As part of the initial exercise, the quick response teams of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) cordoned off the aircraft while officers from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) got engaged in negotiations with the hijackers to de-escalate the situation.

“Upon failure of negotiations, the NSG Counter Hijack Task Force (CHTF) launched a coordinated operation to storm the aircraft. The operation resulted in the successful ‘rescue’ of all dummy passengers and crew, and the ‘elimination’ of the simulated hijackers. This phase of the exercise concluded at 02.15 hours on July 19,” the NSCBI insider said.

Simultaneously, he added, a counter-terrorist exercise was initiated at around 21.00 hours on July 18, simulating an armed terrorist attack on AAI operational offices, where 12 staff members were taken hostage, and the building’s power supply was disabled.

As part of that exercise, the Special Task Force (STF) commandos of West Bengal Police cordoned off the area and attempted entry but encountered heavy resistance and simulated casualties.

“Following the conclusion of the hijack scenario, the NSG Task Force was deployed to handle the hostage crisis. After a detailed briefing from the STF, the NSG team executed a coordinated tactical operation, neutralised six simulated terrorists, and successfully rescued all hostages. This operation concluded at 04.25 hours on July 19,” the NSCBI insider said..

According to him, those exercises were aimed at validating response mechanisms, inter-agency coordination, and crisis management protocols in high-stakes scenarios involving civil aviation security. The participation and coordination among AAI, CISF, ATC, Airlines, State Police, IB, MHA, and NSG ensured the overall success of the exercise.

–IANS

src/dpb