Abingdonboy
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A rare article on the secretive SPG:
It annoys me that there is still this "deputation culture" in the NSG and SPG- the tax payer spends huge amounts on training these guys for them to leave at the end of their deputation period and take their talents to the private sector. I see the argument that deputations keep the age profile of elite forces like SPG/NSG very young and fresh and that these guys take the lessons and experience back to their parent unit to apply there and do some good their but then I can also see many holes in the idea
His father wanted him to land a stable, government job. And his dad was thrilled when he cleared the required tests and joined the Border Security Force (BSF) in 1993. Fresh from college, Binu Nair, now 40, was posted in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir as a sub-inspector. Three years later, he was advised to take the really tough tests to join the Special Protection Group(SPG), the nodal agency for the protection of the countrys VVIPs such as the prime minister and former prime ministers. It was very very tough, but I was lucky, says Nair.
His father was the happiest man in the world. Those who join SPG or other elite forces such as the National Security Guard (NSG) leave their parent organisations such as the BSF or the Indian army on deputation. When you join SPG, you almost leave your parent organisation, says Nair after a meaningful pause.
It is a new world, agrees a former SPG officer who is now with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The training starts anew. You have to learn and unlearn. Most things are different, even the way you interact with people. You cant be rude anymore. You are trained not to be, adds he. Most of the 3,000-strong SPG comprises hires from the BSF, Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force, etc.
Learning to Unlearn
It is not normal policing. You are trained to constantly negotiate with people. At the same time, you have to ensure the security of our VVIPs, says Nair.
The exposure and experience are entirely different. You end up travelling with these people [prime ministers, former prime ministers, close relatives of prime ministers, etc] wherever they go, even abroad, says he. Adds the CBI officer: These elite guards are trained so well that by the time a prime minister lands in a foreign location they know whom to contact and which hospital to rush the dignitary to if something goes wrong.
Rajasthan-born Banwar Lal, who was formerly with SPG, says working in tandem with security people abroad when a VVIP is on tour offers tremendous experience. Work could get really hectic, but there is a sea of difference in your lifestyle, says a former SPG guard who is currently with a Delhi-based MNC. He didnt wish to be identified because his company doesnt allow him to speak to the media. The pay is huge, too, compared with that of the parent organisation.
There are other benefits, says the CBI officer. You start rubbing shoulders with powerful people, start enjoying a luxurious lifestyle, and unlike in the parent organisations, you can always stay with your family if you are married and send kids to good schools, adds he. After all, they arent called an elite force for nothing, he says.
But most importantly, says Sabu Sahadevan, 48, who has served both in NSG and SPG, unlike the NSG which is highly hierarchy-conscious, in SPG you are largely independent of such security forces-related hangovers. He adds, Each person has autonomous responsibilities, and there is a lot of equality. You start enjoying the pleasure of a certain autonomy that is hardly there in any other force.
Culture Shock, Pay Issues
But there is a problem.
You cant be in SPG forever. One day you have to return to your parent group. And you have got used to your family living with you and your children attending very good schools. You cant enjoy such luxuries if you are posted on the border. The pay is a problem, too. The perks you enjoy in SPG are huge, but then you are working as hard for it, says the CBI officer.
The experience is similar for other elite groups such as NSG, says a former member who is currently with a New Delhi-headquartered pharmaceutical firm. Like SPG, NSG, too, handles VVIP security in India. With a total strength of 14,500, it is modelled on Germanys GSG 9.
But most people in NSG return to parent organisations because there is hardly any difference in terms of hierarchy. As an NSG guard, you dont feel the culture shock when you return to your parent organisation. But SPG is an entirely different entity. Having tasted that freedom at work, you dont want to return, claims Sahadevan. At least five others who have worked either in NSG or SPG share Sahadevans views. However, ET on Sunday couldnt independently verify this claim. The point is, fortune favours the brave, the CBI officer declares philosophically.
Soon after these elite forces were constituted, the country embraced liberalisation, says he, laughing. NSG was formed in 1986 and SPG in 1988. Of course, there has been a spurt in foreign investment, and numerous MNCs have set up offices and factories in India since the liberalisation of 1991. The local companies, too, have been expanding rapidly.
Demand Soars
Security experts say the demand for high-risk security among India-based companies has risen drastically ever since, especially following the spree of terror strikes on Indian soil since 9/11. Shyam Singh, a senior official at Delhi-based security services firm Secura, says private companies have woken up to the realisation that security is paramount to their growth.
And therefore, the likes of Nair could figure a way out.
In 2005 when he left SPG, he didnt return to the BSF. From SPG, most of them dont return to the forces. So they look for options outside, notes the CBI officer.
While Lal and Sahadevan went back to the BSF and CRPF, respectively, for two years, Nair was busy looking at the options outside. Around then, the power sector in Delhi was getting privatised, and Tata Power was one of the players in the region. He joined the company as a security officer, much to the anguish of his father.
It was tough to convince him, says Nair. Quitting a government job, according to him, was a sin. But finally he relented. In fact, the biggest wrench of going back was that the most forlorn outpost awaited the person returning after deputation. They cant offer any special responsibilities to elite forces members because there is no provision for that. You cant blame the parent organisation, too, reasons the CBI officer. As far as I know, from the elite forces, especially from SPG, very few people go back, adds he.
Soon, for Nair, more opportunities came knocking. In 2006, he took up an offer from Nokia as security chief at its Sriperumbudur manufacturing facility near Chennai. Similar was the case with Sahadevan and Lal. The same year, Sahadevan was hired by GMR as one of the senior members of the Hyderabad airports security division. Lal ended up in Cadila Pharmaceuticals security division at its Kadi factory in Mehsana district of Gujarat.
Gainful Employment
By 2008-end, Nair got another offer from Renault- Nissan to be head of general administration at the Japanese carmakers Oragadam plant near Chennai which has rolled out cars such as Micra and Sunny. He is also in charge of the welfare of foreigners at the plant. While he doesnt disclose the details of his remuneration, he admits that it is much much higher than what I would have earned in my parent cadre (BSF).
A former NSG member with a Delhi firm also has a similar tale to tell. I have nothing against the forces. It is the forces that gave me a opportunity to explore other options. Interestingly, a former SPG guard who has joined a soft drink giant in the administration division is now part of the public affairs team of the MNC. He, like many others who have moved on from such elite forces to the private sector, is not authorised to speak to the media.
Sahadevan is currently with MTS India, controlled by Russian conglomerate Sistema. He is head, vigilance, MTS, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, a job that requires the tough commando to ensure security for all MTS properties in these two southern states.
Though Hill and Associates, which provides security and risk management services to corporations operating in Asia, didnt disclose details of its recruits in India as a matter of policy, it confirmed that it hires extensively from SPG.
They are a dime a dozen now, among our corporates. Many of them are in key positions, says the CBI officer about his former SPG colleagues. Once youre an SPG, it is culturally difficult to return to the parent organisation. Sahadevan had returned to CRPF, only to avail of the benefits that come with completing a 20-year-service in the forces.
Again, the thing is if you have guarded Indias VVIPs, the rest is all so easy-peasy, says the CBI officer, half in jest. They are a prize catch, he insists. In fact, it is symbiosis of sorts for both the former SPG guards and the corporates, he notes. Indias corporates seem to know it only too well.
It annoys me that there is still this "deputation culture" in the NSG and SPG- the tax payer spends huge amounts on training these guys for them to leave at the end of their deputation period and take their talents to the private sector. I see the argument that deputations keep the age profile of elite forces like SPG/NSG very young and fresh and that these guys take the lessons and experience back to their parent unit to apply there and do some good their but then I can also see many holes in the idea
