Force two

This is india at her best. Sachin and Haroon grew up together and will now battle terrorists together as force one commandos

This is india at her best. Sachin and Haroon grew up together and will now battle terrorists together as force one commandos

They began as childhood friends, then colleagues in the police department in Latur and are now, buddies in the elite security unit, Force One, which was dedicated to the nation yesterday.

This correspondent caught up with them one a Muslim, Haroon Lohar, and the other a Hindu, Sachin Giri during the team's passing out parade at the SRPF ground at Goregaon East.

In fact, the two 24-year-olds even spoke in unison "We will take on any terrorists if they dare enter the city," they said, looking grim and determined.

The two commandos share a room at their quarters in Kalina and eat, sleep, train and live together. In fact, it was almost a foregone conclusion they would be a buddy pair. (See A day in the life of...).

Chhodenge Dum Magar... Childhood friends Sachin Giriu00a0and Haroon Lohar at Force One's passing out parade yesterday.

They were working in the Latur police force for two years, beginning July 31, 2006, before they opted to join Force One early this year, two of 15,000 candidates.

In fact, Haroon is the only Muslim among the 216 commandos of the first batch.

"There is no discrimination. We are like brothers. The trust we have built over the years will go into fighting terrorists,'' said Haroon.

While Haroon performsu00a0 Namaz when time permits, Sachin devotes time to performing pooja in the same room.

"The buddy pair concept is to ensure that both commandos understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.

They complement each other as in other special forces anywhere in the world," said Joint Commissioner R Janardhan, who heads Force One.

What's force one?

Force One, Maharashtra's own elite security force designed on the lines of the National Security Guard, was commissioned yesterday, two days before the 26/11 anniversary.
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It is specifically trained to tackle terrorism challenges and will 'always remain a step ahead of the terrorists', said CM Ashok Chavan.

May the force be with you: Sachin Giri and Haroon Lohar at the passing out parade at the SRP Camp in Goregaon (E) yesterday.

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Force One will complement the efforts of other security agencies in the city, including the police, the quick response teams and the ATS.

A day in the life of...

Haroon and Sachin run about 15 km each day before they begin other important sessions like tactical firing with AK-47 and MP5 assault rifles.
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They then take part in mock operations like rescuing hostages, unarmed combat and diffusing terror-related situations.
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The men are trained to provide 360-degree cover to each other in battle space. Also when one commando advances, the other provides covering fire to ensure the partner is not injured.

The buddy system is used in:
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The United States armed forces, referred to by various names in each branch (Wingmen in the Air Force, Battle Buddies in the Army, Shipmates in the Navy)

The British Armed Forces. Various names include the buddy-buddy system and battle-buddies

Scuba diving, where it is called buddy diving or each diver is referred to as a dive buddy.

Firefighting, where it is called the two-in, two-out principle.

Scouting.
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On the occasion, the chief minister also promised that the state home department would be given more money for security purposes, special schemes would be made for the families of those kileld in 26/11, and there would be more housing schemes for the city police.

Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said that the police in Mumbai have always stood up and tackled all kinds of challenges effectively.

The new Force One is another step in the direction and shall help Mumbaikars feel more secure, he said.

Addressing the gathering, ATS chief K.P. Raghuvanshi said that Force One would live up to expectations and would always remain prepared to tackle the challenges of terror.

Force One's headquarters and training centre is located in a 100-acre campus inside the lush green Aarey Milk Colony at Goregaon in north-west Mumbai.

The need for a special force on the lines of the NSG was felt after the Nov 26, 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai killed 166 people.

The new force has 256 officers and men, headed by an officer of the rank of deputy inspector-general.