Let the Force be with them

From the 1,000 applications received for Maharashtra's elite commando unit Force One, a mere 200 have survived the rigorous training The elite commando unit Force One is facing an exodus of sorts. Over 100-odd cadets have either been disqualified or have called it quits, as the training was too rigorous. fight club: While Force One will take some more time to regularise, the State Reserve Poilce are being trained by former Russian army men to counter terrorists. They demonstrated their skills at the SRPF Grounds, Goregaon Post 26/11...In the aftermath of 26/11, when the state police announced the formation of this special squad of policemen to tackle urban terrorism, they were flooded with entries. Fromu00a0 1,000-odd cadets their number has been reduced to a mere 200 or so. While most were disqualified in the preliminary screening tests, of 300 cadets that were short listed, many took a U turn half way. But the state police are not complaining. The message is clear. Only the best can make it to Force One, said a senior IPS officer, supervising the recruitment and training procedure for the state's commando unit.According to the officer, the short-listed candidates underwent an induction-training programme in Vadachi Wadi in Pune and at the SRPF Group 1 Grounds in Goregaon. Those who performed well in the training have made their way to the third phase of the selection process, which has just begun, the officer said.Strength of the force The state had declared that Force One would comprise 350 commandoes including officers. But those imparting the training are in no hurry to fill in the numbers. Even if we have the best 100 we can start functioning. The selection will be an ongoing exercise until the required manpower is filled in.Recruiting commandoes for Force One is no cakewalk as the training is highly specialised. (See box). We are getting prepared to tackle urban terrorism and hence our focus will be to train cadets in all aspects to combat terror, he added. The best of the lot Even the average commandoes, who are not a part of the Force One, have high regard for the squad. Those short listed for Force One will get the best possible training and it will truly be a force to reckon with, said a commando from Quick Response Team.