ITBP’s ‘Crack K-9s’ on the job to secure R-Day (IANS Exclusive)

By Rajnish Singh New Delhi, Jan 20 : Gala, Baghera, Victor, Tanu, Sparrow, Polo, Helli, Sandy, Anny and Brutus are among many ‘Crack K-9 QRT’ team members of the ITBP’s dog squad who have been tasked with sanitising and securing the area around India Gate and Rajpath for incident-free Republic Day celebrations this year in the capital.
The five- to seven-year-old male and female dogs belonging to three separate expert sniffer and assault dog breeds — Labrador Retriever, Dobermann and Malinois or Belgian Shepherds — are being used by the Delhi Police for the last four days in anti-sabotage operations for Republic Day parade security duties.
The Delhi Police have requisitioned the world-renowned ‘Crack K9 QRT’ unit of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for their deployment to sanitise and secure the area around India Gate and Rajpath.
Four days back, the MHA sent an order to the ITBP following a Delhi Police request and the sniffing dogs pushed for the job, sources told IANS. ITBP K-9 QRT (Quick Reaction Team) rushes to the assistance of Delhi Police whenever there is a requisition.
These dogs will also be used for sanitising Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 26 where ‘At Home’ function is arranged in the evening for Vice President, Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers, Cabinet ministers, Leader of Opposition and other dignitaries by the President, the sources said.
These ITBP K-9s are some of the highly trained and loyal dogs who will sniff terror with “zero error” to ensure that the Republic Day ceremony held under a very high threat perception goes off without a hitch.