Silver lining for state commandos

Commandos from the Maharashtra police are in a celebratory mood. Their hard work, sweat and tears paid off after a team of 22 commandos came second at the fourth edition of the All-India Police Commando Competition held in Chennai.

The six-day competition that tests their physical strength, mental fortitude and skills saw participation from 16 states and seven paramilitary units, such as the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Captain (Retired) Nardeev Singh, from the Indian Army, who trained the Maharashtra team, said, "Around 23 teams such as the ITBP, Assam Rifles, the CISF, the Railway Police Force (RPF), Greyhounds, an elite commando force of Andhra Pradesh, and the Hawk Commandos took part."

Commandos from the Maharashtra team celebrated after winning the second prize at the All-India Police Commando Competition, which saw participation from 23 different teams. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

The team was led by Assistant Inspector Bhushan Burade, who was a part of the elite counter-terrorism unit Force One, since its inception, and recently transferred to Anti- Terrorist Squad (ATS). Other than Burade, there were 15 others from Force One; three were from Mumbai police, three from Thane and one from Ratnagiri.

The remaining belonged to the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF). Speaking about the tournament, Burade said, "The Tamil Nadu police won first place. Even though this was our first time participating, we managed to bag the second prize. Our team manager Datta Shinde, deputy commissioner of police, helped us achieve our goals," said Burade.

Explaining the different events at the competition, Burade said, "There were three levels to test our physical fitness, in which we had to take part in a jungle hunt and an urban hunt operation. Then, our firing and aim were checked, in which we were asked to fire at a target that appeared only for three seconds. In the third level, our mental fitness was assessed." The Tamil Nadu government awarded all participating commandos cash rewards.