More sky marshals on board

Airports turn into fortresses following  intelligence warning about 9/11-like strike

NEW DELHI: The well-dressed and suave man sitting next to you on a flight may not be the usual corporate executive thinking about layoffs in a slowing economy. He could be a National Security Guard (NSG) commando, busy scanning every passenger on board to thwart any possible hijack attempt.

The Mumbai terror strike and a fresh warning about 9/11-like attacks have made the civil aviation authorities beef up security at airports and deploy more commandos, called sky marshals, on board.

Airports across the country are on alert in the wake of intelligence reports that terrorists from Pakistan or Afghanistan may hijack aircraft to stage an attack around December 6, the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

While frisking of passengers and baggage has been intensified and additional paramilitary personnel have been deployed at airports, especially in Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, the number of sky marshals on board domestic flights has also been increased.

The commandos are randomly picked after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) gives clearance. A big aircraft like a Boeing 747 has four sky marshals while the smaller ones have two each.

Government officials say all airlines are cooperating with the BCAS. The commandos are being deployed on flights operating in “sensitive airports” at Delhi, Mumbai, Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, Guwahati, Goa and Bangalore, a senior government official said.

Refusing to divulge the exact number of sky marshals deployed, an NSG officer said the commandos are drawn from its elite Special Action Group (SAG), which has recruits only from the army.

The SAG has a special combat unit which specialises in anti-hijacking operations though its precise pattern of deployment is kept secret. Inside the aircraft, only the captain and some senior crew members know their exact location.

“The sky marshals are highly trained in small-arms and hand-to-hand combat. They are expert in defusing bombs, profiling passengers, and handling gadgets,” said the officer.

Before getting into an aircraft, the sky marshals are briefed about the passengers. Sometimes they even sit at the X-ray scanners.

“If there are suspicions about any passenger, the crew first informs the pilot who follows the laid-down anti-hijack drill. The sky marshals then become active and the drill is cut out for them too,” said the officer.