| Special Group | |
|---|---|
 Special Groupinsignia | |
| Active | 1981–present |
| Country |  India |
| Branch | Cabinet Secretariat |
| Type | Special Forces[1] |
| Size | 4 squadrons (Each consisting of 100 operatives) |
| Headquarters | Sarsawa AFS,Uttar Pradesh[2] |
| Nickname | The Mavericks[3] |
TheSpecial Group (SG) is theclandestine operations unit ofCabinet Secretariat (Cabinet Secretariat). It is responsible for covert and paramilitary operations and is known as4 Vikas,22 SF and22 SG.[4][Note 1] Its responsibilities include conducting operations to thwart urban terrorism with which theIndian Armed Forces may not wish to be overtly associated.[2][5]
Established in 1981, it was raised in the following year underProject Sunray. Its existence was previously unknown to the public.[6][2] There are a total of four SGsquadrons, with each squadron consisting of fourtroops and eachtroop consisting of 25 personnel. Eachtroop has a specialized skill-set. SG draws its personnel from all the branches ofIndian Armed Forces, with 20-30% being drawn from theSpecial forces.
The Special Group was created in 1981 as a classified unit underResearch and Analysis Wing tasked with undertakingcovert operations.[5][7] TheDirectorate General of Security,[5] which was a confidential organisation created with assistance from theCIA after theSino-Indian War of 1962, was put under the control of R&AW in 1968. In 1982,Project Sunray was initiated by theDirectorate, under which an officer from thePara SF of theIndian Army was tasked with raising a unit comprising 250 personnel.[6] In early 1983, a group of six personnel were sent to a confidential military base inIsrael.[6] There they received training from a specialist team ofMossad for a few weeks.[7] This team, which had earlierrescued hostages fromUganda'sEntebbe airport with some assistance from R&AW, was composed of commandos from theSayeret Matkal.[6][7][Note 2]
The original mandate of the SG was similar to that of the BritishSpecial Air Service and included counterterrorism and hostage rescue. However, this mandate was later transferred to theNational Security Guard. The current mandate of the SG is not fully known.[4]
TheNon-Aligned Movement summit and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1983 was conducted under the direct supervision 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 was the code name of a covert plan in which the Special Group was to abduct Sikh extremist leaderJarnail Singh Bhindranwale from Guru Nanak Niwas in theGolden Temple complex,Amritsar.[9] A unit was formed to prepare for Operation Sundown in theSarsawa Air Force Base inUttar Pradesh.[9] In December 1983, an officer from the Counter-Revolutionary Warfare Wing of the BritishSpecial Air Service arrived in India to provide advice regarding the plan. Extensive rehearsals were also carried out.[9][10][5]
The operation was never started due to the thenPrime Minister of IndiaIndira Gandhi's rejection on religious grounds; the operation may have hurt the religious sentiments of theSikh people. In addition there was a risk of numerous civilian casualties as acollateral damage of the operation.[11][9]
Other options such as negotiations subsequently failed and the law and order situation in Punjab continued to deteriorate.[11][10][12]
| External image | |
|---|---|
 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 inPunjab was worsening due to the eruptingseparatist militancy.[13]Operation Blue Star was the code name of the Indian military action carried out between 1 and 8 June 1984 to remove militant religious leaderJarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of theHarmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) complex inAmritsar,Punjab.[14] A few days before the operation began, the Special Group arrived in Amritsar.[1] The Special Group was tasked to create an executable plan for this.[5]
A senior officer from the BritishSpecial Air Service was secretly recruited to provide advice for this plan to the SG,[1] after being cleared by then British PMMargaret Thatcher.[15] A group of SG personnel clad in black uniforms, armed withAK-47 rifles andNight vision goggles, began the assault on 6 June 1984.[7]
The Special Group was responsible for the eventual death ofJarnail Singh Bhindranwale andShabeg Singh during Operation Blue Star, despite the1 Para (SF) claiming credit for it.[2] This is associated with the fact that they were shot dead usingAK-47 rifles. Such rifles, which were purchased secretly fromEurope, were present exclusively with the SG at that time.[2]
In the aftermath of theassassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, SG personnel provided security to thePrime Minister of India until the creation of theSpecial Protection Group in 1985.[6]
The Special Group has undertakenblack operations outside India.[2] In the late 1980s, it rescued apolitical prisoner inBangladesh after being ordered to do so by thePrime Minister of India.[2] After acivil war started inSri 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 theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,[2] the most prominent militant group.[16]
During the 1999Kargil war, the Indian government had planned a raid near theKahutanuclear facility inPakistan and had asked the Special Group to prepare for it. Ultimately, however, the raid was called off.[2]
When theIndian Airlines flight 814 was forced by hijackers to land inKandahar, Afghanistan, in December 1999 the SG was instructed to be ready for a potential rescue effort. Their mission was to clear a path for theNational Security Guard to enable them to reach the aircraft and conduct an anti-hijacking operation. The plan entailed eliminating the members of theTaliban 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]
The Special Group are known to be involved in theongoing counter-insurgency operations in theJammu and Kashmir region across theLine of Control.[5][2]
The Special Group functions under the Directorate General of Security (DG Security) ofResearch and Analysis Wing (RAW), which is India's foreignintelligence agency.[5][18] The unit serves under the command of theprime minister through theCabinet Secretariat.[2][6] Within RAW, the Secretary (Research) is responsible for the Special Group.[19]
The SG is headquartered atSarsawa inUttar Pradesh.[5][2] Its personnel are volunteers recruited from all the branches of theIndian Armed Forces, primarily from theSpecial Forces.[19] After serving in the SG on deputation, its personnel return to their original units.[4] SG personnel are distributed in three to four companies.[5][6] An SG team is kept on high alert for contingencies round the clock. There are a total of four SGsquadrons, with each squadron consisting of four troops. Each troop has a specialized skill-set. The SG has dedicated branches specialising in intelligence gathering, operational planning, communications and training.[5]
The responsibilities of the Special Group includes clandestine intelligence operations andcovert operations, with which theGovernment of India may not wish to be overtly associated.[5][6] The SG is also responsible for developing tactics and training procedures forother special forces of India.[5]
The Special Group is considered to be a capably trained counter-terrorism 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 theAviation Research Centre.[4]
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| National Security Council |
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| Internal security | ||
| External intelligence | ||
| Defence intelligence |
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| Economic intelligence | ||
| Intelligence Co-ordination | ||