Government moves two BSF battalions from Odisha to terror-hit Jammu

New Delhi: The government has ordered the extraction of two BSF battalions, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, from Odisha to beef up security in the terror-hit Jammu region along the India-Pakistan border, official sources said on Saturday.

The decision to "immediately" move the two units from the anti-Naxal operations grid to Jammu was taken in the wake of the recent spate of terror attacks in the region, the sources told PTI.

Officials in the security establishment said the two Border Security Force (BSF) units were meant to be deployed as the "second line" of defence behind the first tier of its units deployed along the international border in the Jammu area to check infiltration of terrorists from across the frontier, apart from attacks by these elements in the hinterland.

The troops of these two units are expected to be based in Samba and near the Jammu-Punjab border, the sources said.

"Two recent meetings, one in Delhi and one in Jammu, of the top security brass necessitated bolstering BSF deployment in Jammu," said a senior officer, requesting anonymity.

"There was a proposal to move two BSF battalions from Odisha to Chhattisgarh to intensify anti-Naxal operations there but these units are now being sent to Jammu, given the current situation," the officer added.

The BSF guards more than 2,289 kilometres of the international boundary that runs along Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat in India's western flank.

The Jammu region accounts for 485 kilometres of this border, interspersed with dense forests and mountainous terrain. About a dozen BSF battalions are deployed along the international border region in Jammu.

Security in the Jammu area has come into focus following a series of terror attacks in Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Kathua and Doda districts this year that have led to the killings of 22 people, including 11 security personnel and a village defence guard member.

Five terrorists were killed in two encounters in Kathua and Doda districts last month.

One BSF battalion, the sources said, was being withdrawn from Malkangiri district and the other from Koraput district of Odisha on the directions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Prior to the extraction of the two units, both the districts had four battalions each, deployed as part of anti-Naxal operations duty.

The officials said deploying replacements for these two battalions was a decision that would be taken later.

The deployment of BSF troops in the "second line and depth" areas along Jammu and other parts of the international border has been a long proposed plan after officers of the force and experts pointed out that such a backup would help check infiltration and terrorist activities in the hinterland.

The Jammu area is vulnerable to cross-border tunnels and its dense forests and mountainous terrain make it an ideal ground for terrorists to launch attacks against civilians and security forces.

The infrastructure for the "second line" deployment will have to be created over the next few months and years and, till that time, the new two units will man the Jammu international border, a senior officer in Jammu and Kashmir said.