The Border Security Force (BSF) has made way for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Srinagar and Anantnag to handle anti-terrorist operations. The changeover was completed today as the last of 5,000 BSF personnel pulled out from the J-K capital.The CRPF, along with the state police, will now handle security in Srinagar and the sensitive Anantnag town.Confirming the pullout, BSF Inspector General (Ops) Shivaji Singh told The Indian Express that five battalions from Srinagar and four from Anantnag will move out, completing the process that started a fortnight ago.The pullout is being seen as a conciliatory measure from the Centre to facilitate the dialogue process in the state. Home Ministry sources, however, said this does not mean a reduction of troops in the area as an equal number of CRPF personnel would move in.According to Singh, the BSF will continue operations along the border, the Line of Control and other parts of the Valley and the state, including Jammu, Baramulla and Rajouri. Nearly 30 BSF battalions still remain in the state—they will be gradually replaced.The BSF had moved to Srinagar in 1990, after CRPF and state police had failed to contain terrorism, said sources.This time, CRPF personnel moved into the Valley two months ago and were undergoing pre-induction training with the Army, said a senior Home Ministry official.The replacement followed recommendations from the Group of Ministers, which was set up to review internal security in the wake of the Kargil war. The GoM had suggested that the BSF be sent back to guard the borders and the CRPF take charge of anti-terrorist operations.The CRPF had initially replaced the BSF only in urban areas, north of Jhelum. However, the changeover—it was to be completed first by 2003 and then by July 2004—got delayed after it was felt that CRPF personnel needed to be trained further and equipped better.Such a need, sources said, was particularly felt after a CRPF road-opening party failed to detect an IED on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway in May, last year, resulting in a bus blast that left 33 BSF personnel dead. Later, some CRPF camps were also targeted in the J-K capital. Besides, sources said, doubts were expressed about the CRPF’s intelligence network, crucial to any counter-insurgency operation.
