Anjani Kumar leads rich tributes to NS Bhati, reminisces Greyhounds Guru

HYDERABAD: Former Greyhounds consultant and trainer par excellence Padmasri awardee NS Bhati is no more. He breathed his last at the age of 94. The former army officer joined the state police force in the undivided Andhra Pradesh as a consultant to train the commandos in guerilla warfare in thick jungles.

While slain DIG KS Vyas was considered the father of the counter-insurgency police force in the Telugu states, NS Bhati was the guru of Greyhounds who had nurtured the commandos in close-quarter warfare to tackle Naxals.

Telangana Director General of Police Anjani Kumar, in his condolence message, remembered him as a legend. “NS Bhatti has gone. No amount of words can express the totality of his contribution to India and the survival of democracy,” he said. Anjani Kumar, who was an Assault Commander in Greyhounds, then Squadron Commander, and later became Chief of Greyhounds, knew the legend very well.

The DGP recalled that he witnessed the undiminished passion of NS Bhati for training and innovation from field experiences of the assault units. “Such legends come but once a century. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.

Giridhar Rvula, IPS, in his message remembered the legend as a person who imparted training to commandos to withstand grueling forest conditions and endure close combat battles with the insurgents. He said that NS Bhati through his training has protected the interests of the state of Andhra Pradesh during the tough times of Leftist extremism.