No infiltration in J&K till June this year: MHA

Srinagar: Stating that till June end this year there has been no infiltration from across the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB), Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai Tuesday said that there has been a perceptible decline in infiltration due to the approach adopted by the government to tackle cross-border terrorism.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Rai said that there had been zero “net infiltration” into Jammu and Kashmir till June 30, 2023.

The Union Minister was replying to a query raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt.

The MoS Home said that the number of terrorists infiltrating in 2022 was 14 terrorists, 34 in 2021, 51 in 2020, and 141 in 2019.

“There is tactical deployment along the border in J&K. Besides, the Centre has adopted a well-coordinated strategy to tackle cross-border infiltration,” he said, adding that modern technology had been put in place to track and neutralise the infiltrators in J&K.

“Besides, multi-layered deployment of troops, latest surveillance cameras, night vision cameras, and heat sensing gadgets are in use to tackle infiltration along the borders in J&K,” Rai said.

He said that the target-oriented ambushes were laid to kill infiltrators at the borders in J&K and there had been round-the-clock patrolling by the Army and the paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF).

“Border Police have been established for generating intelligence and taking proactive steps to tackle infiltration,” he said.

Over 600 positions for Police personnel have been sanctioned for 42 new Border Police Posts (BPPs) along the LoC and IB in J&K to strengthen the second-tier anti-infiltration grid.

While the Army and the BSF are manning the first-tier of the anti-infiltration grid along the LoC and the IB, Police are managing the grid's second tier.

In a separate query, the Ministry of Home Affairs while briefing about the contribution and achievements made by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in respect of internal security since its inception said that the CRPF, the largest Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), has immensely contributed to internal security and was deployed in various major theatres of internal security challenges like the Left Wing Extremism areas, J&K, and North East.

"CRPF is also deployed for maintenance of law and order in various parts of the country on the request of the state governments," the reply reads.

The minister said that the CRPF had also been guarding some important installations and institutions besides providing security to VIPs.

"Augmentation of the strength of CRPF is undertaken by the ministry from time to time as per the administrative and operational requirements. Strengthening of CAPF, including CRPF, is an ongoing continuous process. To modernise and improve efficiency of CAPFs, the government has approved modernisation plans for equipping them with latest technology, modern weaponry, and vehicles," the minister said.

He said that the Qualitative Requirements (QRs) and Trial Directives (TDs) of various armoured and specialised vehicles had been formulated keeping in view the importance of armoured and specialised vehicles for a leading counter insurgency force like CRPF.

"The vision of the government is to equip the force with cutting edge technology to meet threats emanating from the internal security front of the country," the minister said in his reply.