36th NSG Raising Day | 17 Oct 2020

National Security Guard (NSG) Raising Day is celebrated on 16th October.

Formation: The decision to form an anti-terror federal contingency force was taken in 1984 when militancy in Punjab was at its peak. The NSG came into existence through the National Security Guard Act, 1986.
Anti Terrorist Force: The NSG is an anti-terrorist force. They are been given the specific role to handle all the facets of terrorism in any part of the country as a federal contingency force.
- They are also informally referred to as the ‘Black Cats’ because of their menacing, all-black uniforms.
Elements: It has two complementary elements:
- Special Action Group (SAG) comprising Army personnel.
- Special Rangers Group (SRG) comprising personnels drawn from State Police and Central Armed Police Force.
Model: It is modelled on the elite anti-terror forces GSG-9 of Germany and SAS of the United Kingdom.
Deployment: Since its raising the NSG has been used in Punjab in 1986 and Jammu & Kashmir. It played a significant role in thwarting Mumbai terror attacks (26/11 attacks).
Not For VIP: In January 2020, the Centre decided to remove the NSG from providing security to VIPs, a task which it was not supposed to perform when it was originally formed.