New all-female Swat team to protect Indian prime minister after intensive training in martial arts

India is set to deploy its first all-female elite Swat team, trained in explosives, urban warfare and deadly martial arts, to protect the country's prime minister.

The new counter-terrorism unit is made up of 36 commandos, who have completed 15 months of exhaustive training by experts from around the world in weapons, counter-terrorist measures and Krav Maga - the deadly martial art pioneered by Israeli special forces.

They are expected to play a major role in the security detail for the prime minister's address on Independence Day, after being inducted by Delhi Police.

Presiding over the induction ceremony, India’s Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, said he was happy to see Delhi Police promoting women to its ranks of elite squads and said they would help guard Narendra Modi when he makes his speech from the Red Fort on Wednesday.   Amulya Patnaik, the Delhi Police Commissioner, said the women had been rated better than their male counterparts by trainers.

“These women are second to none when it comes to handling terror strikes and hostage crises in urban areas," he said. 

The commandos are armed with MP5 submachine guns and Glock 21 pistols
The commandos are armed with MP5 submachine guns and Glock 21 pistols

The commandos all hail from north-eastern states, such as Assam, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. They are proficient in ambush and counter-ambush tactics, jungle operations and urban operations. They also have been taught the use of explosives and IEDs.

“They are experts at abseiling and scaling, they can spring from deep sleep to action, fully armed, within a minute of an alarm," an unnamed trainer told The Times of India.

The idea for the unit came after a large number of female cadets graduated from Delhi’s police academy last year, with dozens showing interest in commando training. 

 The new counter-terrorism unit is made up of 36 commandos, who have completed 15 months of exhaustive training
 The new counter-terrorism unit is made up of 36 commandos, who have completed 15 months of exhaustive training

It is hoped that working undercover they can conduct surveillance of crowds and suspects undetected due to the low number of Indian female officers in general - less than 10 per cent in Delhi - and because often the size and build of male officers can give them away.

Mr Singh said Delhi Police was a role model for other forces. "The practices adopted by Delhi Police should be among the best practices of police."

The commandos will be armed with MP5 submachine guns and Glock 21 pistols, and will work both visibly and in plain clothes gathering intelligence. 

They're also capable of climbing multi-storey buildings and carrying out rescue operations in places like hotels, metro stations and buses.

License this content