Special Operation Group

Special Operation Group
SOG
Special Operation Group ; SOG
Agency overview
Formed	21 August 2004; (20 years ago);
Employees	3,000
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Odisha, India
	Map of Odisha Police Department's jurisdiction
Size	60,160 square miles (155,800 km2)
Population	41,947,358
Operational structure
Headquarters	Cuttack, Odisha
Parent agency	Odisha Police
Child agencies	Special Tactical Unit (STU); District Voluntary Force (DVF);
	As of July 2018

The Special Operation Group (SOG) is an elite Commando unit raised by the Odisha Police to combat the Left Wing extremists in Odisha. They also have a small group that can carry out other counter-terrorist operations like hostage situation and building intervention. The force specializes in jungle warfare and have been hugely successful in controlling violence by armed guerillas of the Left Wing extremist groups, more popularly called 'Naxalites' in India.

SOG Person Escorting Public (Cuttack)

Mission

The Special Operation Group (SOG) was formed in August 2004 in the pattern of Greyhound of Andhra Pradesh with the main objective of neutralising Left Wing Extremists operating in Odisha.^[1]

Organisation

Headquarters

Odisha State Police Headquarters, Cuttack
Odisha Special Intelligence Wing (SIW), Bhubaneswar

The Special Operation Group has its Training-cum-resource centre at Chandaka in Bhubaneswar. They have a staff strength of about 1800 Commandoes, constituted into teams of 20-25 commandoes. Each unit is self-reliant and can operate deep inside jungle for days in search of armed extremists. The teams of SOG operate either in single team or in multiple teams depending on the scale of the operation launched. They carry the insignia of tusker and call themselves 'Kalinga Tuskers', though the use of the name 'Kalinga Tusker' is not very well known. Their motto is 'kalingaha sahasika', which translates roughly as 'people of Kalinga are brave.'. Kalinga is the ancient name of Odisha.

Training

Before the SOG created its own Training-cum-resource centre, police personnel from Odisha were trained outside the state with other Police and Security forces. The first batch of basic training was conducted at the new training centre in 2008. The training of the SOG Commandoes include physical conditioning, obstacle training, map reading, tactics and extensive training in the use of weapons, including timed fire. The basic course conducted by SOG is considered one of the toughest Commando training programme in India.

Recruitment in the force is not direct, the personnel are drawn from Civil Police, Odisha Special Armed Police Battalions and Indian Reserve (IR) Battalions on deputation. Personnel are selected through an intensive process. The maximum age of the Commandoes can be 35 years.

Honours

Awardee	Award	Year	Event
Pramod Kumar Satapathy (Posthumous)	Ashoka Chakra	2009	Republic Day (India)
Debashish Sethy (Posthumous)	Shaurya Chakra	2021	Independence Day (India)
Sudhir Kumar Tudu (Posthumous)	Shaurya Chakra	2021	Independence Day (India)

References

↑ "Formation of Special Operation Group (SOG) in the State to deal with extremist and terrorist activities - creation of posts thereof" (PDF). Government of Odisha. Retrieved 24 September 2013.

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[memo33019-1] "Formation of Special Operation Group (SOG) in the State to deal with extremist and terrorist activities - creation of posts thereof" (PDF). Government of Odisha. Retrieved 24 September 2013.

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