New Delhi: The central government is contemplating moving the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) from the villages and hinterland of Jammu & Kashmir and deploying them along the Line of Control to further strengthen the border security, ETV Bharat reported quoting officials in the Union Home Ministry.
Officials said that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), once the decision is finalised, would take charge of the internal security of Jammu & Kashmir.
“Both the Defence Ministry and Home Ministry are having meetings over the issue. However, nothing has been decided so far,” a government official aware of the development said.
A senior CRPF official said that the process is under constant discussion between the Defence Ministry and Home Ministry. “Once the final decision is taken, the formal deputation of CRPF for maintaining law and order in J&K will start,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
Recently, the Centre ordered the deployment of three CRPF battalions in the Jammu region to strengthen the counter-terrorist security grid. These units will take over from RR units deployed in Udhampur and Kathua districts, with each battalion having an operational strength of about 800 personnel.
The Centre plans to hand over to the paramilitary force more such areas, including in Kashmir, after complete CRPF deployment in Udhampur and Kathua, sources said.
Sources further said that the government has been working on this new security blueprint for nearly two years following the “improvement” in the situation post the abrogation of Article 370 from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
At the same time, the Pahalgam terror attack has necessitated increased vigilance on the borders to plug any infiltration of foreign terrorists, like those involved in the dastardly attack. It is believed that the terrorists who were involved in the April 22 attack infiltrated from across the border a few months before the attack, sources said.
Security experts hailed the expected decision to depute the CRPF for the internal security of J&K.
“It’s a good decision to depute CRPF for the overall internal security of J&K. The Army (RR) is well trained for guarding India’s border with Pakistan, whereas the CRPF is well trained for ensuring the country’s internal security,” security expert and former DIG of BSF SS Kothiyal told ETV Bharat.
According to Kothiyal, if the present situation of J&K is taken into consideration, the CRPF is the best option to maintain the law and order situation.
It was during the 1990s, the central government established and deputed the Rashtriya Rifles in J&K to combat rising militancy in the Kashmir Valley. The RR is a special counter-insurgency force composed of personnel from the Indian Army, according to records referenced by ETV Bharat.
Internal security expert Prakash Singh, however, said that along with CRPF, the Border Security Force (BSF) should also be deputed for the internal security of J&K.
“CRPF has good capability for internal security. However, it was BSF which was earlier deputed for internal security of J&K. So, the government should also think of assigning BSF for the internal security of J&K,” Singh said.
The CRPF fully replaced the BSF in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir around 2005. BSF was deputed for internal security duties in J&K, particularly in the 1990s, after the insurgency began. This transition, recommended by a Group of Ministers after the 1999 Kargil war, aimed to allow the BSF to focus on its primary role of guarding the country’s borders while the CRPF specialised in internal security duties.
According to the latest data of the Home Ministry cited by ETV Bharat, Jammu and Kashmir recorded a decline of over 70 per cent in terror-related activities in the past five years.
The Ministry data revealed that the number of terror-related incidents registered a sharp decline from 286 in 2019 to only 40 by the first week of November 2024. On the killings of security personnel, the home ministry data said that 77 cases were reported in 2019, which was reduced to 58 in 2020, 29 in 2021, 26 in 2022, 11 in 2023 and seven in 2024.
