The Sashastra Seema Bal, which guards the 1,751-km-long Nepal border and 699-km-long Bhutan border, is set to raise a combat intelligence wing to better secure the “sensitive” and porous borders of two countries.
Talking to reporters, SSB Director General Archana Ramasundaram said the paramilitary force has sent a proposal to the Government to raise close to 1,000 personnel as part of its maiden combat intelligence network that will be deployed on these borders. As of now, the SSB relies on its non-combatised officials and regular troops for this task at these two borders.
“The border (Nepal) is very sensitive and the influence of elements of various types in these areas have mushroomed...We have proposed to have our full-fledged intelligence wing in the force. The proposal has been sent to the Home Ministry,” the DG said when asked a question on increasing Chinese activities in Nepal.
Refusing to share any specific operational and classified aspects along this border, she said the force is keeping a “watch” on every activity along this frontier on India’s east.
She added the proposed intelligence wing will pay special focus activities along Nepal as heavy cross-border movement takes places across this frontier. “There is no fencing on this (Nepal) border and there are different challenges here. We also have to keep the sensitivity of people in mind as the local population on both sides have relations and interactions across the border we guard,” she said.
The DG added the force, raised in 1963 in the aftermath of the 1962 Chinese aggression, will have a new structure for intelligence gathering, analysis and dissemination.
A senior official said the new intelligence wing will be raised on the lines of the famed ‘G’ wing (General wing) of the Border Security Force which has some of the major kills and operations to its credit in the Kashmir Valley and the Naxal-hit States.
Talking about other challenges on the borders, the DG said the Nepal frontier was sensitive when it comes to tackling the menace of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) and the force has seized a total of 6.45 lakh such forged currencies after the Government demonetised Rs1,000 and Rs500 on November 8.
The DG said the force is well prepared and has createdawareness amongst its troops and officials to cope up with the challenges posed by demonetisation and be part of the cashless system. She added the seizure of illicit liquor, in border areas, has also gone up since Bihar banned it early this year.
The DG, who became the first woman chief of a paramilitary force when she took the top post at SSB in February this year, said her priority was to ensure the women personnel of the force get "as important work as given to the men."