Govt to withdraw border guarding forces completely from internal security duty
   Date :25-Sep-2020

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NEW DELHI :
 
THE Government is working on an “ambitious” plan to gradually withdraw border guarding forces like the BSF, the ITBP and the SSB from internal security duties in order to strengthen protection at various frontiers of the country, official sources said on Thursday. They said that the proposal was first discussed during a meeting of these forces chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah last year.
 
According to the proposal, accessed by PTI, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is working on a new “model” where the burden of internal security duties, including conduct of elections, will be largely borne by the country’s largest paramilitary force, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The 3.25 lakh strong CRPF is already designated as the lead internal security force of the country. Officials in the security establishment, quoting the proposal, said that a new experiment will be put in place during the forthcoming elections in Bihar and by-polls in some States where the CRPF will be deployed in a 70:30 ratio along with State police forces.
 
“The CRPF will be the overall security in-charge during conduct of polls. Border guarding forces like the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) will be gradually withdrawn from these duties,” a senior official said. “It is envisaged by the Home Ministry that these three forces will be taken off completely from rendering routine internal security duties like elections and law and order duties in aid to State Governments over the next few years,” the official said.