Living standards of NSG men should not be compared: NSG DG

GUWAHATI: In the wake of allegations that NSG commandos were living in pitiable conditions, newly-appointed chief of the elite force Jayanto Narayan Choudhury says their living standards should be seen in respect of "Indian conditions".

The ex-DGP of Assam is of the view that a direct comparison of NSG soldiers' conditions with those of similar forces of other countries cannot be done.

"The living conditions are different in different countries. For example, we cannot compare the conditions of the US Delta Force or some other countries' army with the Indian Army," Choudhury told PTI in an interview.

Several persons, including Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, have alleged that NSG commandos were living in pitiable conditions.

"We have to see it (living conditions) in respect of Indian conditions. We have a completely different atmosphere. So we have to keep that in mind," Chowdhury said.

Asked what steps he would take to address the issue, he said, "Let me at first see and know NSG. I will need at least a month to get accustomed with the organisation. Then only I will plan my future course of action."

The NSG was set up in 1984 as a federal contingency deployment force to tackle all facets of terrorism in India, comprising personnel from army, para-military and police forces. It was modelled on the pattern of the SAS of the UK and GSG-9 of Germany.

On January 23, Choudhury took over as its new chief. He will head the 'black cat' commando force, which renders counter-terror, counter-hijack and VVIP security tasks, till his superannuation in May 2015.

Asked about his plans regarding the NSG, Choudhury said, "This force has a long list of distinguished police officers. I will see how I can add value to it.

"The first task will be to talk to the officers and understand the organisation. Then I will see what can be improved in NSG."

A 1978-batch IPS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, he served as the Director General of Assam Police from January 2012 before being nominated as the 28th NSG Director General.

A Masters in Economics from Delhi University, Choudhury had served a number of years in the Intelligence Bureau.