Indian Army training dogs for surveillance during counter-terror operations

The Indian Army is training its dogs to help them in operations by mounting Audio-Video (AV) devices on them. The device has been developed by the commanding officer of the 26 Army Dog Unit, Lieutenant Colonel V Kamalraj, a veterinary surgeon.

"We developed this device after intense research and tried it in Jammu and Kashmir. It can give us real-time details and work as our eyes and ears during any operations, especially with terrorists," Kamalraj told ANI. Explaining the working of the device, he said, "Let us say that our soldiers find some terrorists hiding in a building and we need to know the details of that particular building, the position of the terrorists, and the entry and exits. The Army can send in a dog with this device. It can give us the details from a distance of one kilometer and send the output through a system," he said.

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When asked about the types of dogs who have been trained and their safety, Kamalraj said, "The dogs are of different kinds. There are assault dogs as well, and in case of any face-off with the enemy, the bulletproof jacket will save them from any deadly firing. They can also attack the enemy as they are trained to do so."

Various K9 units across the world are using such dog mounted cameras including some law enforcement agencies in the USA. Staffordshire Police has been using dog head cameras to record activities of criminals. Similarly, Durham police are also using 'K9cam' to deal with criminals. Portland police last year also tested these cameras for its K9 unit. 

Army Dog Saluted Chinar Corps Commander

A picture of a dog called Menaka saluting Lt Gen KLS Dhillon (Chinar Corps Commander) in Srinagar on December 14 had gone viral. The Chinar Corps Commander returned the salute to the dog because senior army men are supposed to do so as per the traditions of the Indian army. Army officials told ANI that the picture was taken on the first day of the Amarnath Yatra, July 1, this year.

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They told ANI, "While the Corps Commander was going to the holy cave for darshan, around 50 meters before it, Menaka was carrying out his duties. As the Corps Commander reached there, the dog saluted him.”  During many army operations, the dogs are taken along with the troops to help detect terrorists and explosives.

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(With ANI inputs)