SRINAGAR: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is set to take over counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism responsibilities from the Army at 21 locations in the Udhampur-Kathua belt of Jammu and Kashmir, in a major restructuring of the security grid in the region, according to officials and media reports.
The 21 locations, described as “hyper-sensitive”, have been identified for the deployment of CRPF personnel along with specialised teams of its jungle warfare unit, the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA).
According to a News18 report, a communication has been issued to the CRPF to prepare for the replacement of Army personnel performing designated counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism duties and to strengthen its presence in the area.
The number of personnel required for the takeover is being worked out, the report said. However, officials cited by PTI and other reports said the plan envisages deploying around 21 CRPF companies, comprising nearly 2,100 personnel, to man the 21 camps in Udhampur and Kathua.
The camps had been reduced to a “skeletal presence” following earlier troop movements, according to officials quoted by reports, with the CRPF takeover expected to improve coordination between the Army and paramilitary forces operating in the area.
The deployment will also include CoBRA teams trained for operations in difficult and forested terrain. News18 reported that nine CoBRA teams would remain deployed, while another nine teams would undergo training, with their eventual deployment to be decided according to operational requirements.
The proposed restructuring is part of a broader plan to redistribute counter-insurgency responsibilities between the Army and central armed police forces.
Army to focus more on border duties
Officials cited in recent reports said the long-term objective is to gradually hand over a larger part of the counter-insurgency grid in the Jammu sector to the CRPF, allowing Army infantry formations to move away from routine anti-terror operations and concentrate more on border security along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB).
The idea of the CRPF filling the operational vacuum created by Army troop movements towards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) dates back to 2020, according to officials.
The move is also linked to a wider reassessment of the deployment of the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reports earlier said that a phase-wise drawdown of Rashtriya Rifles troops from some areas was being planned as part of the restructuring. Officials, however, have stressed that this does not mean a complete withdrawal of the Rashtriya Rifles from Jammu and Kashmir.
“A significant number” of RR personnel will continue to remain deployed in the Union Territory, according to sources cited in the reports.
The Udhampur-Kathua belt has emerged as a key focus of security agencies because of militant activity and the use of forested and rugged terrain for movement and concealment.
The new CRPF deployment, including CoBRA personnel, is expected to strengthen operations in forest areas and difficult tracks where militants have operated and established hideouts in recent years.
The move also comes after a series of security incidents in the Jammu region. Kathua, in particular, has witnessed militant attacks in recent years, including the July 2024 ambush on an Army convoy in which five soldiers were killed, adding to security concerns in the district.
The CRPF’s expanding role in the region also follows its decision to raise a dedicated CoBRA battalion for counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. The unit was envisaged specifically for operations in the forested terrain of the Jammu region, which has witnessed a spurt in militant activity.
The latest deployment is therefore being viewed as part of a gradual recalibration of the security architecture in Jammu and Kashmir rather than an outright withdrawal of the Army from counter-insurgency operations.
