New Delhi: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was formulated on October 24, 1962 to ensure peace along the India-China border. This day is celebrated annually as the Raising Day of ITBP.
The ITBP is a specialised Armed Police Force of the nation, which trains its personnel in various disciplines and guards the India-China Border ranging from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh.
ITBP, in its official website, states that the Force guards 3,488-km long India-China border ranging from the Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh. This apart, the Force also has important roles in many internal security duties and operations against the Left Wing Extremism in Chhattisgarh.
“Most of the ITBP’s Border out Posts (BOPs) are located at altitudes ranging from 9,000 to 18,800 feet where temperatures drop to minus 45 degrees Celsius in extreme winters,” ITBP mentioned.
It is a specialised Armed Police Force which trains its personnel in various disciplines, including mountaineering and skiing apart from intensive tactical training, thereby creating a distinctive image of the Force.
ITBP also conducts relief and rescue operations as 'First Responders' for natural calamities in the Himalayan region. It has a glorious history of the past six decades in which the jawans of the ITBP have made many sacrifices in the line of duty and in the service of the Nation, it states.
History:
ITBP was raised on October 24, 1962 for reorganising the frontier intelligence and security set up along the Indo-Tibetan border. It was initially raised under the CRPF Act. However, in 1992, Parliament enacted the ITBPF Act and the rules there under were framed in 1994, ITBP website said.
Battalions:
The number of ITBP Battalions increased gradually and ITBP presently has 60 service Battalions, 4 specialist Battalions, 17 training centres and 7 logistics establishments with a total strength of approximately 88,432 personnel, it states.
Achievements:
The Force has been safeguarding the India-China border since its inception on October 24, 1962. During the India-Pakistan war of 1971, 2 Battalions of ITBP were deployed on the Western Front. The commandos took over security at the 9th Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1981-82 as a Special Responsibility.
The tasks of the Anti-Terrorist Security Duty during Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting-1983 and security during Non-Aligned Movement-1983 were also given to it.
ITBP has been performing the task of ensuring security of the Indian Embassy in Kabul since 2002 and subsequently 4 other Consulates in Afghanistan till the year 2021. The brave commandos of ITBP have performed their duties with great bravery and courage and have thwarted many fidayeen attacks targeting Indian offices in Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif, as per website.
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