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BSF to increase presence in Srinagar

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

The Jammu and Kashmir government's plan to reduce the presence of the Border Security Force in the capital has received a setback following several militant attacks in recent days.

The BSF now plans to induct more troops into Srinagar to counter the infiltration of a large number of highly trained militants, including foreigners.

"We immediately need four more battalions in Srinagar City," Inspector General Vijay Kumar, chief of the BSF in Kashmir, told rediff.com. "We anticipate more such sensational attacks."

"The BSF is needed in Srinagar for some more time and we immediately need more troops," he said when asked about the earlier decision to hand the capital back to the state police.

Kumar said a large number of militants had sneaked into Srinagar and were responsible for the latest spurt in violence, including the sensational attacks on the civil secretariat and the Badami Bagh army cantonment. "The militants may launch more such attacks," he said.

The officer said his force had mounted a massive winter operation in the capital to flush out the extremists. "In the past month we have killed 15 militants in and around Srinagar. This itself shows that militants, including foreigners, have sneaked into the city. But we have taken measures to maintain law and order."

Earlier, at a press conference at the Kashmir frontier headquarters, IG Kumar admitted "there were ups and downs" in the fight against militancy. "We killed 142 militants, including some top leaders of various outfits, and seized 387 arms and recovered 21,844 rounds of ammunition" so far this year, he said. In the last 10 years, the BSF had killed 1,698 militants in the valley and recovered 7,667 arms and 587,047 rounds of ammunition. Besides, 8,710 militants had been arrested while 898 had surrendered to the force. The BSF has so far lost 505 officers and jawans.

In reply to a question, Vijay Kumar said utmost care was being taken to see that the least possible inconvenience is caused to the general public. He said an inquiry had been ordered into the recent killing of a couple in Srinagar.

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