A contingent of the NSG ”black cat” commandos and a tableau of the country”s largest paramilitary force CRPF will be part of the forthcoming Republic Day parade in the national capital, official sources said on Thursday.
Marching and band contingents of the Delhi Police, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the famed camel-mounted band of the Border Security Force will also be part of the annual parade on January 26 that is going to be curtailed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, they said.
The National Security Guard (NSG) commandos, who first came on the Rajpath for this event in 2017, are making a comeback this year, sources said.
The commandos, called ”black cats” due to their black-coloured overalls and stealth techniques, will be seen sporting their sophisticated weapons like the MP-5 assault rifle, dagger, night vision headgear, bullet proof jackets and counter-terror equipments like hydraulic lifts and anti-hijacking van ”sherpa”.
The special force was raised in 1984 as the federal unit to undertake specialist counter-terror, counter-hijack and hostage rescue operations across the country.
The NSG, every year, also provides a sniper and combat security cover to the Republic Day event as part of its “immediate backup support” to secure the Rajpath and its nearby areas.
