Community Security Officers Training Camp Held under “Bengal Veer” Program Near Kolkata 2024
Outer Kolkata ( 21-Dec-2024 ) A community security officers training camp concluded under Bengal Veer program. A number of select trainees participated in the 8-day camp where professional security trainers with combat experience provided training in a number of critical areas such as security architecture, psychological profiling, personnel formations during violent aggression, tactical training in setting up fortifications and other defensive measures against mob charge, and general hand to hand defensive combat. The trainees were pre- selected based on psychological qualifiers and physical aptitude.
The rigorous training started with imparting the basics of Tool, Tactic and Personnel, and from the beginning the basic thought procedure got mandatory – to defeat a criminal one must need to think like a criminal. At the outset, the inability to think like the aggressor was found to be a major psychological deficit among the Hindu trainees. Almost none of the trainees had ever thought of what their tormentors thought and why they committed acts of aggression against the hapless population. In due course of the training, the attentive trainees started to grasp the need to profile the aggressors and made steady progress. The trainees then mapped the architecture that was made compulsory for them to attain.
The training consisted of two modes – theoretical in classroom and physical consisting of rigorous regimen of exercises and practices including running, pushups, squat, and other forms. The participants also received cyber-security training in handling secure communications, signaling and coordination. The participants were training in leveraging google maps and VPN for securing ground operations in personnel mobilization and evading enemy intrusion. The tactical training consisted of 24×7 patrolling including organizing effective night patrols, intelligence gathering, signaling, first response, security cordon, fortifications against hostile mob charge and defensive ambush. In addition to engagement training, the participants also received first aid and primary medical care, and survival tactics in hostile and/or remote areas with reduced ration and medical supplies.
Lessons Learnt from the Kashmir Hindu Genocide and the founding of the ‘Bengal Veer’ program – the architects of the ‘Bengal Veer’ program took full account of the predicament of the hapless Hindu minority during the Kashmir Hindu genocide where the instruments of the state viz. police and security forces were unable to protect the affected, resulting in Hindu extermination in the Valley. One of the most critical lesson learnt from Kashmir Hindu Genocide was that the community has to train and build its own security, and cannot rely on the security instruments of state. The similar predicament is observed in the recent events in Bangladesh.
The 8-day training culminated into investiture of the trainees as community security officers who will now go back to their communities to form and train platoon strength general security ranks to secure and defend their respective local communities. The camp was conducted by Bengal Volunteers, a registered organization engaged in relief, aid and social welfare. Bengal Volunteers is a heritage revival organization serving the Bangla speaking areas including East Bengal. Historically, Bengal Volunteers was formed by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as part of Indian National Congress to serve as its volunteer corps. The current revival organization is not affiliated with any political party or political ideology, and serves all the peoples of both West and East Bengal.
rajib.burman@asusa.org | +1 (832) 736-5643 ].