NEW DELHI: The Center has decided to expand the Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) as part of its plans to gear up the security machinery to fight the militants in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.

The Home Ministry is also planning to raise new paramilitary forces to augment the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). It does not favor the expansion of these two forces on the ground that they have become too unwieldy.

However there are problems to be overcome. The first is the shortage of funds; the Budget has not made any budgetary allocations for new forces of for the expansion of existing ones. Secondly the BSF and CRPF are themselves seeking an expansion in their sizes. Lastly the Centers plans entail the re-orientation of the ITBP for a purpose different than what it was set up for.

Union Home Minister S.B. Chavan had recently complained of the shortage of funds while stating that the country needs twice as many police personnel as it now has.

But funds are not likely to be so much of a problem in view of the situation in Kashmir and Punjab which the Home Ministry expects will grow more difficult in the coming summer.

“The security forces have already been “stretched” to the limit with the result that the Center has had to use the Army for internal security duties in Kashmir Punjab and Assam.

Chavan and a very vocal section of the bureaucracy are opposed to using the Army for internal security duties. They want to replace the army with highly trained and motivated police personnel at the earliest.

The Ministry feels that the BSF with about 150 battalions (nearly 150000 personnel) and the CRPF with about 125 battalions are al-ready 100 big. Though officials says the unwieldiness is basically management problem informed sources say the Government is hesitant expand these forces for the same reason that it is reluctant to deploy the army for long periods within the county.

Hence the plan to add 10 battalions to the 26- battalion ITBP. “These new battalions however will be reined in internal community duties rather than specialized high-attitude border duties which are what the force was created for.

Although a bill governing the ITBP was introduced in Parliament only last Wednesday the force was set up in the aftermath of the 1962 war with China to guard about 1221 km of the border from the Karakoram. Pass in Ladakh to the Lipulekh Pass at the tri-junction of the Indian. Ti bet an and Nepalese borders

The exacting conditions of the plummet in altitudes ranging from 9000 feet to 18000 feet resulting in loss of limbs because of frost: bite and even insanity-made a degree of specialization essential for the force.

Not surprisingly there were complaints when two battalions were temporarily withdrawn for bank security in Punjab in May 1990. However this duty has now been regularized and two of the new battalions will be deployed for bank security VIP security and security cover to the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka.

This however is not the first time that a border force will be used for internal security on an on temporary basis. In Kashmir the involved in operational since unlike elsewhere it is now involved in border duty. “This is because the Line of Control there is harmed by the army. The proposal to raise new forces has given to a debate within the Ministry with some arguing that hat is required is greater quality not greater number.

Article extracted from this publication >> April 3, 1992