By Prabhjot Singh

PARIS (TIP): India‘s avowed policy of fighting global terrorism collectively is corroborated by the deployment of a section of its specially-trained men and canine squads in Paris, the host city of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
The men and dogs trained in counter-terrorist and anti-sabotage operations can be seen working in tandem with various security and police agencies of the host nation, France, and several other friendly nations.
Paris has virtually turned into a police cantonment with members of the National Police and Grenadier being deployed at all vulnerable points, including the venues of competitions, public places like Metro and bus stations, malls and busy tourist spots.
From India, there are 10 specially-trained Indian Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and special commando force dogs in France to provide a counter-terrorist and anti-sabotage security cover to various venues of the Paris Olympics that opened last week. The ten Indian K9 (canine) teams have been undertaking sniffing and patrolling duties at different venues that hold events for the Paris Olympics. The Indian police squads attended a special 10-week training for this first-ever kind of collaboration of canine squads between the Indian and the French government, media reports said.
Because of armed conflicts in various parts of the world, the French government wanted to take no chances over the possible
risk of foreign interference or a terrorist attack to disrupt the games. “The threat is real and constant, it hasn’t changed for several years,” says media reports quoting Wassim Nasr, a FRANCE 24 journalist who co-authored an article on security threats to the Paris Games for US counter-terrorism magazine.
Media covering the 2024 Olympic Games, has been quoting various agencies, including radio, TV and web channels while reporting the nearly “full proof” arrangements made for the safety of the participants, including players, and members of the visiting Olympic family. A report by public radio station France Inter said that French intelligence services identified a dozen leaders of the Islamic State group in Turkey and Syria capable of activating terrorist sleeper cells in France at any time. “There’s the latent, constant threat of someone acting alone, picking up a knife and deciding to attack in the name of a group,” says Nasr. On Monday, a man already convicted of Islamist radicalism was indicted on terrorism charges after attacking a cab driver with a knife near the city of Le Mans in Western France.
The reports further said that beyond terrorist groups, some state actors are hoping to take advantage of the divisions caused by the war in Gaza to create public disorder. “The turmoil of the war in Gaza may lead some people to create public disorder, to prevent teams from arriving where they are supposed to compete,” says Nasr. The report further suggests that the high-risk Israeli Olympic delegation is given 24-hour security with a reinforced police escort to travel to the various competition venues. This has been done to avoid a repeat of the Munich Olympic dastardly attack.
The security agencies also do not rule out the possibility of an increase in attempts by pro-Russian groups to disrupt the smooth running of the Games. Russia and Belorussia are the only nations who were denied the invitation to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Another media report in Le Monde, one of the main newspapers in France, said that Kirill Gryaznov, an agent for Russia’s intelligence service (FSB) with no diplomatic cover, was arrested in Paris and charged with “intelligence with a foreign power to incite hostilities in France”.
The city has been barricaded and movement to the City Central, which otherwise remains the busiest tourist hub, has the highest security cover.
Despite the deployment of police contingents everywhere, there has been little or no respite in incidents of pickpocketing. Paris is notoriously known for its pickpocketing menace. It leaves visitors to the city deprived of their valuables. One of the Indian journalists covering the Games lost a valuable cardigan from his back sack while his wallet and passport escaped the crafty hands of the suspect.
Tight security arrangements notwithstanding, many sports enthusiasts of Indian origin, from India and the rest of the world, are here to watch the Games and cheer Indian players.
Among them are Jatinderpal Singh and Maninder Singh who have come from Ludhiana. Both have been hockey players in their school days. Other than them there are some hardcore hockey fans from London, including Tarlochan Singh Panesar and Jhujjar Singh aka Jarri besides Ajit Kaur Tiwana, mother of Canadian water polo goalkeeper Jessica Gaudreault. Ajit Kaur Tiwana comes from Chanrthal village in Fatehgarh Sahib. She is the third player of Indian origin representing Canada in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Jessica is an Ontario-born athlete and has represented Canada in various international meets, including the Olympics and Pan Am Games.
Ajit Kaur Tiwana has been a celebrity as she was the first South Asian woman to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.