Indo-Tibetan Border Police

Indo-Tibetan Border Police

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of India, established primarily for the purpose of security along the India-China border. It is a specialized mountain force and most of the officers and men are professionally trained mountaineers and skiers. The ITBP is deployed on border guarding duties from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh covering 3,488 km of the India-China border.

History

The ITBP was raised on 24 October 1962, under the CRPF Act, in the wake of the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Initially, the force was raised under the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Act, but in 1992, the Parliament of India enacted the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force Act, 1992, which provided the ITBP with its own legal framework.

Organization

The ITBP is headed by a Director General (DG), who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The force is divided into several sectors, each headed by an Inspector General (IG). The sectors are further divided into frontiers, which are managed by Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs). The ITBP has a total of 56 service battalions, 4 specialist battalions, and 17 training centers.

Roles and Responsibilities

The primary role of the ITBP is to guard the India-China border. However, the force is also tasked with a variety of other responsibilities, including:

• Border Security: Ensuring the security of the border and preventing trans-border crimes, smuggling, and unauthorized entry into or exit from Indian territory.
• Disaster Management: Conducting rescue and relief operations during natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.
• VIP Security: Providing security to sensitive installations and VIPs.
• Counter-Insurgency: Assisting in counter-insurgency operations in areas affected by insurgency.
• Training: Providing training in mountaineering and skiing to its personnel and other paramilitary forces.

Training

The ITBP personnel undergo rigorous training in mountaineering, skiing, and high-altitude survival. The force has several training centers, including the Mountaineering and Skiing Institute in Auli, Uttarakhand, which is one of the premier institutes for mountaineering and skiing in India.

Operations

The ITBP has been involved in various operations, both within India and internationally. It has participated in United Nations peacekeeping missions in countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Sudan. Domestically, the ITBP has been involved in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.

Also see

• Central Armed Police Forces
• Border Security Force
• Sashastra Seema Bal
• Assam Rifles
• India-China relations