Tripura seeks more security along border with Bangladesh

AGARTALA - Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has urged union Home Minister P. Chidambaram to deploy more security on the India-Bangladesh border along the northeast region to check the movement of militants.

“Bangladesh-based northeast terrorists are using the Tripura border as their corridor. Hence, four more battalions of Border Security Force (BSF) should be deployed along the border with Bangladesh,” Sarkar told reporters Wednesday after returning from New Delhi.

He met Chidambaram Saturday and discussed various security-related issues, including curbing of terrorism in northeast India.

“Many camps of northeast militants still exist in Bangladesh,” the chief minister said.

Sarkar, who also holds the home portfolio in the state, said there were 16 battalions of the BSF currently guarding the 856-km Tripura border with Bangladesh. One BSF battalion has nearly 1,100 security personnel.

He told Chidambaram that to maintain effective vigilance on the border, the distance between border out posts (BOPs) of the BSF should be cut from the present 4.5 km to 2.5 km, keeping in mind the region’s topography.

“Chidambaram has responded positively to these demands,” he said.

The chief minister also requested the union home minister to allow the Tripura government to raise two more Tripura State Rifles (TSR) battalions to deal with the separatist outfits.

Counter-insurgency trained TSR battalions were constituted in 1984 to curb terrorism in the northeastern state — 75 percent of its troopers are from Tripura while the remaining are from across the country.

At present, there are 13 TSR battalions in the state. Nine of them are under the Indian Reserve battalions category and could be deployed anywhere in the country.

Sarkar also demanded sanctioning of Rs.3,000 by the central government for each special police officer (SPO), who assist the regular forces to tackle terrorism and local crimes.