CRPF to raise 200th battalion by 2007: DG

Silchar, Aug 27: As the CRPF is tipped for taking over country's total internal security by 2008, the force has decided to increase its manpower by raising ten more battalions to total 200 by the end of 2008, CRPF Director General J K Sinha said.

The CRPF currently has 190 battalions.

Talking to reporters last night at training school at Dayapur, about 18 km from here, Mr Sinha said that of the 190 battalions, 80 were deployed in Jammu and Kashmir and 24 in Asom.

While ten battalions of Rapid Action Force (RAF) were still under the command of CRPF, the force will not increase the number of women battalion from the present two, he added.

Apart from increasing the manpower, counterinsurgency training for CRPF personnel has been made compulsory. ''This is because, the force is going to take total responsibility of internal security by next couple of years. It's true that in the present circumstances, CRPF is the best choice for operation against insurgents and militants in different parts of the country'', the DG said.

However, in the event of proposed increased responsibility, all CRPF personnel will be trained in counter insurgency operation in its own schools in rotation and phased manner, he added.

Mr Sinha said apart from the school at Doyapur, another counter insurgency training school has come up at Sarhan in Himachal Pradesh, adjacent to the Chinese border.

While those trained at Doyapur are deployed in North-East, the personnel trained at Sahran are meant for fighting insurgents in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

''For all those years we have been facing problems in imparting training to our personnel, specially because, whenever some battalions are withdrawn from operation because of sending them for training, the concerned state government raises a hue and cry.

However, we will no more take this for the sake of the forces' performance and expertise'', the CRPF chief said.

At present 15 battalions are undergoing counter-insurgency training, he added.

UNI