NSG holds counter-hijack, anti-terrorist exercise at Kolkata airport
PTI
Kolkata, Jul 20 (PTI) A night-long joint counter-hijack and counter-terrorist exercise was conducted at the Kolkata airport by the National Security Guard (NSG), the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said on Sunday.
The full-scale drill was planned and coordinated with various other stakeholders and agencies to evaluate preparedness in the event of a complex security threat.
The exercise began on Friday night and concluded in the early hours of Saturday.
As part of the drill, a simulated hijack scenario involving an A320 aircraft with crew and 75 dummy passengers was initiated when the Air Traffic Control received an emergency call from the 'hijacked" aircraft, the AAI said in the statement on Sunday.
The Aerodrome Committee was immediately convened, and the aircraft was positioned at the Isolation Bay for containment.
CISF Quick Reaction Teams cordoned off the aircraft while officers from the Intelligence Bureau and the Ministry of Home Affairs engaged in negotiations with the hijackers to de-escalate the situation. Upon failure of negotiations, the NSG's 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 2.15 am on Saturday, the statement said.
Simultaneously, a counter terrorist exercise was initiated around 9 pm on 18 July 2025, simulating an armed attack on AAI operational offices, where 12 staff members were taken hostage, and the building's power supply was disabled.
State Police Special Task Force (STF) 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 4.25 am on Friday, the AAI statement said.
The participation and coordination among AAI, CISF, ATC, Airlines, West Bengal Police, IB, MHA, and NSG ensured the overall success of the exercise, it said. PTI SBN NN
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments
First Published:
July 20, 2025, 21:00 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Punjab Police opens cyber kiosk for malware analysis in Mohali
Chandigarh, Jul 21 (PTI) In a step towards enhancing cybersecurity, Punjab Police on Monday inaugurated a cyber kiosk for malware analysis of mobile devices at the state cybercrime office in Mohali. The self-service kiosk is designed to scan and sanitise Android and iOS mobile devices, as well as USB drives and external storage, from malicious, banned, or unsafe applications and files. Inaugurating the cyber kiosk, Special DSP (cybercrime) V Neeraja said, 'This is a public initiative for the citizens which has been set up at four places — in Mohali and CP (commissioner of police) offices in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. Similar cyber kiosks will be set up in other districts as well." Addressing representatives from public welfare and industry associations, Neeraja emphasised that the kiosk provides a quick, secure and free 24×7 service, with each scan taking just 2-5 minutes. 'There is no risk of data leakage – citizens can safely check their devices for malware and remove threats instantly," she said. The officer also urged people to remain vigilant against cybercrimes and stressed the importance of immediate reporting via the cybercrime helpline – 1930 – or the 'Cyber-Mittar' chatbot on the portal Jashandeep Singh Gill, SP (cybercrime), said the kiosk identifies IMEI details, SIM information and performs quick and deep scans of applications and internal storage. 'Users can uninstall infected apps, delete harmful files, and generate scan reports instantly. The report can be sent to the user's email or stored on a USB device. The system is user-friendly, secure, and operates through a touch screen interface," he said. An official statement said that developed by the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in collaboration with Arishti Info Labs, the kiosk brings malware analysis directly to the public domain without the need for advanced technical skills. The cyber kiosk in Mohali has been set up in collaboration with real estate company Omaxe as part of its corporate social responsibility facility, it said. PTI SUN ARI view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 22:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
IIT Kharagpur forms fact-finding panel after BTech student's death
Kolkata, Jul 21 (PTI) A senior IIT-Kharagpur official on Monday said a 10-member fact-finding team has been formed by the premier institute to explore the circumstances and factors which led to the death of fourth-year BTech student Ritam Mondal who was found hanging in his hostel room on July 18. Institute director Suman Chakraborty, who recently took charge, said the panel would explore academic, social and psychological factors and is expected to submit its recommendations soon. While police are conducting a probe on its part, the institute has constituted a 10-member fact-finding committee internally, Chakraborty told PTI. 'He is our own child. We are saddened by his death. IIT Kharagpur does not exert pressure on students in a way that they feel stressed. We need to find out why such an incident happened," he added. Chakraborty had met the father of the deceased and interacted with him for about an hour after the grief-stricken parent arrived at the campus on hearing the news of his son's death. Mondal, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering student, had returned to campus on July 15, a day after the convocation, following a two-month vacation. His roommate had not yet returned to the hostel. 'We have to think if there are social factors involved in such incidents," he said. 'If someone comes to the help of such pupils during moments of extreme mental stress, certainly such situations can be averted," he reasoned. The committee will come up with certain recommendations by this month, he added. Mondal was found hanging in his room at Rajendra Prasad (RP) Hall hostel on July 18, the fourth unnatural death case on the campus since January. 'There were no recorded indicators of mental health concerns in the records of the SARTH Counselling Centre. Additionally, the departmental faculty advisor reported no apparent academic or personal issues," the institute noted. On January 12, Shaon Malik, a third-year electrical engineering student, died by suicide. On April 20, Aniket Walker, a final-year Ocean Engineering student from Maharashtra, was found hanging in JC Bose Hall. On May 4, Mohammad Asif Qamar, a third-year BTech student from Bihar, was found dead in his room at Madan Mohan Malviya Hall. Apart from installing bar codes on the gates of every hostel room where the helpline number of counselling services can be scanned by a student in emotional stress at any hour, the institute recently launched a 'Campus Mothers' programme, where women faculty and staff members serve as emotional mentors for students. PTI SUS MNB view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 21:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Gujarat govt employee held by ACB for accepting bribe on GPay
Ahmedabad, Jul 21 (PTI) A Gujarat government employee was arrested on Monday for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 1500 and accepting it via digital payment app GPay, an Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) official said. Jaydip Chavda sent a QR code of his GPay application to the complainant and asked him to deposit Rs 1500 by scanning the code instead of coming in person with cash, ACB inspector RR Solanki said. Chavda, a Class-3 employee, works as village panchayat secretary or 'talati-cum-mantri' at Parab Vavdi village in Bhesan taluka in Junagadh, an ACB release said. 'The brother of the complainant had registered his marriage at Parab Vavdi recently. To avail financial assistance under a government scheme, he was required to submit a memorandum regarding his marriage. When he urged Chavda to issue the memorandum, he sought Rs 1500 as bribe," it said. 'The accused sent a QR code of his GPay mobile app to the complainant's brother and asked him to send the money by scanning it. After getting a complaint, Solanki and his team from Rajkot ACB unit laid a trap at Chavda's office on Monday and arrested him as soon as he received the bribe money on his payment application," the release said. PTI PJT BNM Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
