In a strategic move to bolster security along the India-China border, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will deploy additional teams of intelligence officers across its border posts, spanning from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.
This initiative, approved by the central government, will establish Border Intelligence Posts (BIPs) to enhance surveillance and information-gathering capabilities amid heightened Chinese activities along the border and recurring transgressions by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Each BIP will be staffed by four to five Intelligence Bureau officials and safeguarded by ITBP personnel, tasked with monitoring border activities and providing real-time updates to higher authorities. The specifics of the project’s funding remain undisclosed due to its sensitive nature.
The move assumes critical importance in light of ongoing tensions between the Indian Army and PLA in Ladakh since June 2020. The border region, which lacks full demarcation, often sees differing perceptions of the line of actual control (LAC) by both sides, resulting in PLA incursions into disputed territories. In June 2020, a clash in Ladakh’s Galwan valley claimed the lives of twenty Indian Army soldiers. In December of the same year, PLA troops intruded into Yangste in Arunachal Pradesh, leading to a skirmish with Indian soldiers and injuries on both sides.
The BIPs will station intelligence personnel who will work in coordination with the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and agencies like the National Technical Research Organisation, Intelligence Bureau, and Research and Analysis Wing. Their primary role will be to collect and analyze information pertaining to any unusual activities by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Speaking at a function, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju emphasized the significance of border security, noting that a country’s safety hinges on secure borders. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, efforts have been made to improve infrastructure along the LAC, extending connectivity to previously neglected border villages, he said.
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Presently, there are more than 180 Border Outposts (BOPs) of the ITBP positioned along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) spanning from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. Earlier this year, the government granted approval for an additional 47 BOPs and 12 staging camps for the ITBP, often referred to as “Himveers,” to be established along the LAC. This expansion involves the deployment of 9,400 personnel, equivalent to seven battalions.
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