IED NSG boss claims was defused by his men was bomb of WW II

vintage New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) In a faux pas, NSG Chief R C Tayaltoday claimed his men defused an Improvised Explosive Devicerecovered from high-security DRDO Bhawan after "no otheragency" could handle the situation, but it later turned out tobe a bomb of World War II vintage. Speaking to journalists at an event to inaugurate thenewly constructed building of the Anti-Hijack unit of theelite National Security Guards in the presence of HomeMinister Rajnath Singh, Tayal created a flutter when he saida team of NSG’s bomb disposal squad recently defused the IEDfound at the sensitive DRDO Bhawan. However, according to the daily report of the Union HomeMinistry, three 120 mm shells of World War II vintage werefound on April 14 when labourers were engaged in excavationwork in the compound where construction activity was going on. NSG’s bomb disposal squad later took them to the banks ofriver Yamuna where the only live shell of the three recoveredwas defused. With a touch of bravado, Tayal hailed the NSG bombdisposal squad as the "number one", saying when "no other"agency could handle the situation, it was his men who defusedthe IED. NSG later issued a statement claiming that one of theshells was taken to Manesar where it was destroyed undercontrolled conditions. The NSG has a special bomb disposal squad which not onlyassists its counter-terror and counter-hijack commando unitsduring operations, but also helps neutralise high-level bombthreats involving IEDs and cleverly concealed explosives. The squad had lost its Commanding Officer Lt Col NiranjanEK while he was sanitising a terrorist’s booby-trapped body atthe Pathankot airbase which was attacked early this year. The elite force had come under criticism over its handlingof the Pathankot IAF air base attack after its operation toneutralise the terrorists stretched to 82 hours. Its claim ofsix terrorists being involved in the assault had also comeunder question as the bodies of only four perpetrators couldbe found. Tayal today said his commandos had eliminated thePathankot terrorists "within half-an-hour" after they"established contact" with them. Whatever time was taken toconclude the operation, was spent in locating the terroristswho had sneaked into the air base on the intervening night ofJanuary 1 and 2, he said. Tayal said challenges and engagements for the force aregoing to rise in the future and the NSG was prepared to meetany challenge. PTI NES SKL SKSK