In a faux pas, NSG Chief R C Tayal on Tuesday claimed his men defused an Improvised Explosive Device recovered from high-security DRDO Bhawan after "no other agency" could handle the situation, but it later turned out to be a bomb of World War II vintage.
Speaking to media persons at an event to inaugurate the newly constructed building of the Anti-Hijack unit of the elite National Security Guards in the presence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Tayal created a flutter when he said a team of NSG's bomb disposal squad recently defused the IED found at the sensitive DRDO Bhawan.
However, according to the daily report of the Union Home Ministry, three 120 mm shells of World War II vintage were found on April 14 when labourers were engaged in excavation work in the compound where construction activity was going on.
NSG's bomb disposal squad later took them to the banks of river Yamuna where the only live shell of the three recovered was defused.
With a touch of bravado, Tayal hailed the NSG bomb disposal squad as the "number one", saying when "no other" agency could handle the situation, it was his men who defused the IED.
NSG later issued a statement claiming that one of the shells was taken to Manesar where it was destroyed under controlled conditions.
The NSG has a special bomb disposal squad which not only assists its counter-terror and counter-hijack commando units during operations, but also helps neutralise high-level bomb threats involving IEDs and cleverly concealed explosives.
The squad had lost its Commanding Officer Lt Col Niranjan EK while he was sanitising a terrorist's booby-trapped body at the Pathankot airbase which was attacked early this year.
The elite force had come under criticism over its handling of the Pathankot IAF air base attack after its operation to neutralise the terrorists stretched to 82 hours. Its claim of six terrorists being involved in the assault had also come under question as the bodies of only four perpetrators could be found.
Tayal on Tuesday said his commandos had eliminated the Pathankot terrorists "within half-an-hour" after they "established contact" with them.
Whatever time was taken to conclude the operation, was spent in locating the terrorists who had sneaked into the air base on the intervening night of January 1 and 2, he said.
Tayal said challenges and engagements for the force are going to rise in the future and the NSG was prepared to meet any challenge. The stunning claim by the NSG chief about IED having been recovered from the high-security DRDO Bhawan sent alarm bells ringing in the defence ministry.
The reporters on the defence beat were also surprised as recovery of an IED at DRDO headquarters was a serious breach of security and had a possible terror angle.
The DRDO and the Defence Ministry immediately got back, saying it was not an IED but a vintage Unexploded Ordnance which was found by construction workers engaged in excavation for the foundation of a new building at the Metcalfe House in North Delhi.
The DRDO in a statement said the incident happened in April and the Delhi Police, NSG, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) were immediately informed for necessary action.
"On advice of MHA, NSG lifted the ordnance from the site for safe disposal at their ranges. The area is now safe and construction of the building is in progress," the statement said.
