Anti-infiltration grid to be further strengthened to prevent cross-border infiltration: J&K LG

Jammu, Aug 12 (PTI) The anti-infiltration grid along the Indo-Pakistan border is being further strengthened to prevent infiltration attempts by terrorist, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said.

Blaming Pakistan for being the “source” of terrorism, the LG said it will never succeed in its attempt to disturb peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The anti-infiltration grid has been strengthened compared to the past. It will be further reinforced to prevent any infiltration attempts,” Sinha told PTI in an interview here on Sunday.

Security forces have foiled several infiltration bids in the Poonch, Kupwara, Rajouri, and Bandipora sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, killing several militants over the past two months.

Security agencies estimate that there are about 60 to 70 foreign infiltrated terrorists operating in the hills of the Jammu region.

Following a series of terror attacks on army personnel, pilgrims, and police in Udhampur, Kathua, Samba, Doda, Poonch and Rajouri districts of the Jammu region by highly trained terrorists, the administration has adopted a twin strategy — redeployment of forces in the hinterland and 1000 police personnel to be deployed along the border.

The security apparatus will be strengthened in the hinterland by redeploying troops and reinforcing the three-tier Anti-Infiltration Obstacle System (AIOS) with more forces, including Jammu and Kashmir cops.

“Considering previous incidents, forces, police, and administration have formulated a strategy. The redeployment of forces has begun in the hilly areas, where forces were previously deployed. The deployment of the army, CRPF and police has increased. During the peak of militancy in J&K, there were operational and minority pickets. Their strength is now higher,” Sinha said.

Police and security forces have completed their preparations on this front, Sinha said.

The three-tier security grid along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) is being strengthened with additional deployment of BSF troops and nearly 1,000 recently trained border police personnel, backed by Village Defence Groups (VDGs), officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police (DGP) R R Swain, who is monitoring the deployment of border police personnel and the training of VDGs in border and hinterland regions, said the anti-infiltration and anti-terrorism security setup will have nearly 1,000 newly trained policemen.

The induction of these freshly trained policemen will improve the security in the border regions, the DGP said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has also recently significantly bolstered its manpower and deployed CCTVs along the Punjab-Jammu interstate border to enhance security in response to a rise in terror incidents in Jammu along the India-Pakistan frontier, BSF officials said.

The Union Home Ministry recently ordered the withdrawal of two BSF battalions from Odisha for deployment in Jammu and along the Punjab-Jammu border.