New Delhi, July 27 – The government has ordered the transfer of two Border Security Force (BSF) battalions, comprising over 2,000 personnel, from Odisha to bolster security in the terror-affected Jammu region along the India-Pakistan border, official sources said on Saturday.
This decision comes in response to a recent surge in terror attacks in Jammu. The two BSF battalions, previously assigned to anti-Naxal operations in Odisha, will now be deployed as a secondary defense line to support existing units along the international border in Jammu. Their primary roles will include preventing terrorist infiltration and addressing attacks within the region.
The battalions are expected to be stationed in Samba and near the Jammu-Punjab border. The move follows two recent high-level security meetings in Delhi and Jammu, which highlighted the urgent need to strengthen BSF presence in the area.
Originally, there was a proposal to redeploy these battalions to Chhattisgarh to enhance anti-Naxal efforts. However, given the current security situation in Jammu, the decision was made to send them there instead.
The BSF is responsible for guarding over 2,289 kilometers of the international border across Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Of this, Jammu accounts for 485 kilometers, characterized by dense forests and mountainous terrain. Currently, about a dozen BSF battalions are stationed along this border.
Recent terror attacks in Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Kathua, and Doda districts have raised security concerns, resulting in the deaths of 22 people, including 11 security personnel and a village defense guard member. Last month, five terrorists were killed in encounters in Kathua and Doda.
The two battalions will be withdrawn from Malkangiri and Koraput districts in Odisha, where each district previously had four battalions assigned to anti-Naxal operations. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed this redeployment.
The replacement of these battalions in Odisha will be decided at a later date. The plan to deploy BSF units in “second line” and “depth” areas along the Jammu border has been long proposed to counter infiltration and terrorist activities. The infrastructure for this deployment will be developed over the coming months and years, while the new units will initially oversee the Jammu international border.
