The Hindu : CRPF to take over counter-insurgency

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 17, 2003

National

National

CRPF to take over counter-insurgency

Srinagar Nov. 16. The Border Security Force is all set to take the challenge of sealing the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) after handing over the counter-insurgency charge of Srinagar city to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Monday.

Meanwhile, security all along the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu national highway has been strengthened following intelligence inputs that militants will try to strike during the movement of troops.

The process of the CRPF take over has already started and the first BSF battalion, probably from Zakoora in the downtown area of the city, will be out and in position north of Jhelum river by Monday, official sources told UNI.

The sources said a number of CRPF battalions had already reached here to replace the BSF.

However, there would be no sudden and one time change of forces, but the change would take place in a phased manner because of security reasons, the sources added.

During the process of handing over any area, the BSF would provide the CRPF all information on upper ground workers, pro-Pakistani elements and militant sympathisers in each area to help the CRPF fully understand their area of responsibility.

All the informers would also be handed over to the new forces to use them in the counter-insurgency operations, the sources said.

Five battalions of the BSF are moving out and the number may increase in future. The BSF will now be stationed at the borders to plug all infiltration routes.

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