News Analysis India

Tag: Indo-Tibetan Border Police

  • ITBP inducts its first women officers in combat

    By PTI

    MUSSOORIE: The India-China LAC guarding the Indo-Tibetan Border Police force on Sunday commissioned its first two women officers in combat after they completed their training here.

    A total of 53 officers passed out from the ITBP officers’ training academy located in Mussoorie after a passing out parade was held, with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami officiating as the chief guest.

    A first-ever ‘History of ITBP’ book with 680-pages containing many unknown facts and photographs of the border guarding force was also released by Dhami along with ITBP director general S S Deswal.

    Dhami and Deswal put the ranks of Assistant Commandant, the entry-level officer rank in the paramilitary, on the shoulders of the two women officers–Prakriti and Diksha–after the passing out parade and attestation ceremony where they took oath to serve the country.

    While Prakriti’s father has retired from the Indian Air Force (IAF), Deeksha’s father Kamlesh Kumar is an Inspector in the ITBP.

    Kumar, in his Khaki uniform, saluted his daughter after the parade and got a crisp salute in return following which they hugged each other.

    “My father is my role model.

    He never considered me lesser than anyone,” Deeksha said.

    Prakriti, who holds a bachelors degree in electrical engineering, said the life in the force is “very tough but it is also challenging and exciting”.

    The ITBP started recruiting women combat officers in its cadre from 2016 through an all-India examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

    Before this, it only had combat women in the constabulary ranks.

    Out of the total 53 officers, 42 officers are in the general duty combat cadre, while 11 are in the engineering cadre of the about 90,000 personnel strong mountain warfare trained force.

    These officers will now be posted across ITBP formations in the country, including the LAC with China and the anti-Naxal operations theatre in Chhattisgarh.

    The force was raised in the aftermath of the 1962 Chinese aggression and its primary role is to guard the 3,488 km long India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC) apart from rendering a variety of roles in the internal security domain.

    Addressing the young officers who trained for 50 weeks (general duty cadre) and 11 weeks (engineering cadre) in various subjects of combat and strategy, Dhami said the commanders should “give their best” while performing their duties.

    He said the country was safe due to the valour of its armed forces and the sacrifices made by the personnel in uniform.

    “I am the son of a soldier and I have seen the Army closely.

    I have seen the struggles of their families,” he said while congratulating the young officers who he said were taking their “first step for serving the nation”.

    The CM also lauded the force for bringing out its first-ever history book, that has some 1,000 unseen operational photographs starting from the period when the Union government was planning to raise it.

    “The book has been published in view of making a reference volume for factual history and knowledge of the force to the officers and jawans.

    It will also be useful for the administrative and training purposes and for gaining in-depth details and is the official history of the force,” ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said.

    Pandey has himself been instrumental in bringing out the book after years of research and talking to serving and retired officers and others who were closely involved with the creation of the force that specialises in mountain warfare.

    “There was no such book on the ITBP available till this publication.

    It contains historical achievements of the force since its inception,” Pandey, a second-in-command rank officer, said.

  • LAC standoff: Heightened PLA activity near Chamoli, forces to step up patrol

    By Express News Service
    DEHRADUN:  After reports of increased activity by China’s People’s Liberation Army near the Barahoti area of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, security forces and the state police have formulated a plan to jointly patrol and conduct surveillance in the area. 

    A joint meeting was held on Thursday after which it was decided that police chiefs of the border districts will also be included in the coordination committee for better policing of border areas in cooperation with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Seema Sashatra Bal and other security forces.

    “Forces are being beefed up in Joshimath, Chamoli district given the heightened activities of the PLA in the region. The police will be cooperating with the ITBP, SSB and other agencies over the issue,” said a highly-placed official refusing to reveal other details. 

    The last time the PLA activities were reported in Barahoti was in August 2018. 

    This time a few locals who ventured out to the grassland with their herd of sheep and goat were confronted by PLA soldiers who tried to remove their tents forcibly. 

    A team of state administrative officials visited ground zero and talked to local residents who had reported this to the state government. 

    Barahoti happens to be Bugyal grassland of 10 km length and around 3 kms width at the border with China.

  • ITBP rescues injured trekker from 18,570 feet in Himachal Pradesh

    By ANI
    KULLU: In a life-saving operation, personnel of 19th Battalion Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) rescued an injured trekker from 18,570 feet on the Shrikhand Mahadev route in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday.

    In a risky high altitude operation, the ITBP personnel carried the injured person all along 18 kilometres from Sarkand top of Shrikhand Mahadev trek to nearest road head Fancha on a stretcher.

    “The entire route was full of high altitude hazard challenges in which the jawans rescued the trapped trekker in a highly professional manner. The mountaineers of the 19th battalion ITBP have brought the injured safely after carrying him for more than 18 km on a stretcher and reached the destination road this afternoon at 3 pm,” said ITBP.

    The injured was then handed over to the civil administration.

  • COVID crisis: Oxygen plant donated by Italy starts at ITBP-run hospital in Greater Noida

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A medical oxygen generation plant, which has been sent by Italy to tackle the COVID-19 health emergency in India and can support 100 patients at one time, was operationalised at a CAPF hospital located in Greater Noida on Thursday.

    The machinery for the plant was brought to the country onboard a special flight few days back and the Centre had deployed it at the CAPF referral hospital that is operated by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

    “Italian Ambassador to India Vincenzo De Luca switched on the plant at a ceremony that was attended by senior ITBP officers. The plant has been installed and made operational at the hospital campus within 48 hours,” a spokesperson for the border guarding force said.

    It will supply medical oxygen to more than 100 COVID-19 beds available at this hospital, he added.

    The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) hospital primarily caters to the personnel of various police and paramilitary organisations, their families, veterans of these forces that function under the command of the Union Home Ministry.

    Luca spoke at the event and said the plant will be at this hospital “permanently” and it was a sign of friendship and solidarity between the two countries.

    He also recounted how some Italian tourists (about 17) in India were treated by the ITBP medical setup when they contracted the coronavirus infection last year.

    “We do not forget this (gesture by India). This friendship and solidarity with India will continue,” the Ambassador said.

    Senior ITBP officers present on the occasion said the government and people of India have “big gratitude” for the human gesture shown by Italy.

    The country is grappling with an acute shortage of oxygen beds in hospitals apart from medicines and other life-saving medical care as a ferocious COVID-19 second wave is continuing over the last few weeks.

    Coronavirus cases and deaths in the country hit a record daily high with over 4.12 lakh new infections and 3,980 fatalities, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 2,10,77,410 and the death toll to 2,30,168, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

  • CBI takes over Indo-Tibetan Border Police ‘fake appointment’ letters case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The CBI has taken over investigation in ITBP recruitment scam in which 24 unsuccessful candidates from across the country were conned with fake appointment letters to join the force, officials said.

    These candidates had appeared in the examination for the post of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) constables in 2014-15 and 2016 but could not clear the selection process, they said.

    However, they reached the force’s offices with fake recruitment letters to join duties, leaving ITBP officials surprised.

    The candidates were from across the country carrying “recruitment letter” in spite of being unsuccessful in their tests, they said.

    The ITBP officials spotted a mobile number on their letters with instructions to make contact on it, they said.

    The candidates were also asked to deposit some money as “training charges” in bank accounts prior to joining their duties, they said.

    Some of these candidates were lured by the letter and scrupulously deposited the money in those accounts, they said.

    It was clear that the candidates from Assam, Punjab, Andaman, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh were issued fake recruitment letters even as genuine candidates were cleared after the due process and recruitment process was completed already, they said.

    The agency has registered a case of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, they said.

  • ITBP DG, over 200 personnel get COVID-19 vaccine shot

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief S S Deswal along with over 200 personnel of the border guarding force on Monday received the first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine here, an official said.

    Deswal, 59, was injected the Covishield vaccine, manufactured by the Pune-based Serum institute, at a camp held at the headquarters of the force here in the CGOs complex on Lodhi Road, the official said.

    “The ITBP director general along with over 220 personnel received their first shot of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday at the force headquarters here,” an spokesperson said.

    The personnel of the force are receiving these shots at various locations of their deployment since the COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched in the country in January.

    The about 90,000 personnel strong ITBP is primarily deployed to guard the 3,488-kms long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China apart from being tasked to render a variety of duties in the internal security domain of the country.