The National Security Guard (NSG), India's specialised counter-terrorism force, was raised in:

The National Security Guard (NSG) was raised in 1984 as a federal contingency force to deal with terrorism.

Why the NSG was set up:

• In the early 1980s, terrorism in Punjab had increased.
• Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984 and the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi showed the need for a specialised counter-terrorism force.
• The NSG was modelled on special forces such as the British SAS and the German GSG 9.

Legal basis:

It was given statutory status by the National Security Guard Act, passed by Parliament.

Nickname:

NSG commandos are popularly called "Black Cats" because of their black uniforms and black cat insignia.

Composition:

• The NSG is made up of personnel drawn from the Army and the Central Armed Police Forces.
• Special Action Groups (SAG) are mainly drawn from the Army.
• Special Ranger Groups (SRG) are mainly drawn from the CAPFs and state police.

Roles of the NSG:

• Counter-terrorism operations.
• Anti-hijacking operations.
• Rescuing hostages.
• Bomb disposal.
• Providing security to certain high-risk VIPs, a role that has been reduced in recent years.

Famous operations:

• Operation Black Thunder (1986 and 1988) at the Golden Temple.
• Operation Black Tornado during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
• Response to the Pathankot air base attack in 2016.

Regional hubs:

After the Mumbai attacks, NSG hubs were set up in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Gandhinagar for quicker response.

Control:

• It is under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Its headquarters is in New Delhi, and its training centre is at Manesar in Haryana.

Motto:

Its motto is "Sarvatra Sarvottam Suraksha" (Omnipresent, Supreme Security).

Why not the other options?

• ✗1975, 1990 and 2001 do not match the year the NSG was raised.