Fearing large-scale infiltration by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, the Army has beefed up deployment of troops on the line of Control (loC) in Jammu & Kashmir. With the snow melting and the infiltration route opening up, the Army has deployed an additional battalion (1,000 soldiers) on the Shamshabari mountain ranges to deter terrorists from sneaking into the adjacent Kupwara region. The loC saw around 30 infiltration bids in the last five months.
Paramilitary forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), will also dispatch more personnel for anti-militancy operations in the hinterland and ensure an incident-free Amarnath Yatra, well-placed sources said.
This sector is most prone to infiltration due to the mountainous terrain and thick forests making it easy for militants to evade Army patrols. More battalions will be deployed after assessing the situation next month, officials said on Tuesday.
Reports indicated that local Army units have now started restricting movement of villagers close to their camps.
The population was also kept in a state of high alert to prevent any loss of life in the event of ‘unprovoked’ firing from across the loC.
In the past one week, field commanders have bolstered defences of their soft locations and rushed reserve troops to forward locations from where fire assault can be launched to avenge the mutilation of bodies of Indian soldiers. Even the patrols have started altering schedule of their routine drill to keep the enemy guessing.
The situation along the International Border (IB) with Pakistan is equally volatile. The 190-km-long International Border is in a state of high alert following Intelligence reports of presence of group of infiltrators close to the launching pads. Pakistan Rangers could try and push group of infiltrators to engage Indian border guards as a diversionary tactic.
Ingress routes in higher reaches of Kashmir remain blocked due to snow for four to five months and infiltration begins once snow melts. This summer is more critical as the Pakistan Army and ISI will try to send in larger number of militants from across the loC to put pressure on the Army and security forces who are already tackling turmoil on a large scale within the State in form of mass protests, stone pelting and attacks on security forces, they said.
Admitting that the security situation was not “conducive” in the State, sources said in this scenario the Army, already engaged in anti-terrorists operations in the hinterland along with CRPF and local police, will have to face several challenges. These include violence within the State and the presence of nearly 200 well-trained militants poised to sneak into the State from launch pads located in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir located close to the loC.
Army chief General Bipin Rawat had visited Srinagar last week to take stock of the security scenario in the hinterland and loC and said later, “Terrorists are going to attempt infiltration as snows are melting, summer months have started. We are taking measures, have beefed up our counter-infiltration posture to take care of the situation.”