New Delhi, Oct 27: The continuing face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops at multiple locations along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier have brought the manpower shortage in India’s border guarding forces into sharper focus,and raised questions over the ability to respond to security challenges.
According to government statistics in possession of The Assam Tribune, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Border Security Force (BSF) and Assam Rifles together had 37,397 vacant posts as of February this year.
The shortage assumes significance following ITBP Di rector General Shatrujeet Kapur’s recent statement that face-offs with Chinese troops at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh were continuing.
According to the statistics provided by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), ITBP had 12,333 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 1,05,136 personnel. Its actual strength stood at 92,803, leaving approximately 11.7 per cent of its sanctioned posts unfilled.
The SSB, which guards India’s borders with Nepal and Bhutan, had 6,784 vacancies against an authorised strength of 1,00,549 personnel. Assam Rifles, which performs a crucial role in counter-insurgency operations and security along the India-Myanmar border, had 3,749 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 65,540. Similarly, BSF has a present strength of 2,57,346 personnel against a sanctioned strength of 2,71,877, keeping 14,531 vacant.
Together, the four forces were short by more than 10 per cent of their combined sanctioned strength. The ITBP guards the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, including difficult mountainous terrain in Arunachal Pradesh.
Persistent face offs require personnel to maintain forward deployments, monitor sensitive stretches and remain pre pared for confrontations that can develop quickly. For Assam Rifles, vacancies pose a different set of challenges.
Its responsibilities in the Northeast include counter-insurgency operations and security along the Myanmar border, where difficult terrain and cross-border networks com plicate surveillance. Providing the required manpower is also crucial for BSF as the border agency guards India’s sensitive borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The SSB vacancies also matter as the Nepal and Bhutan border responsibilities re quire continuous monitoring and coordination with other agencies to address unlawful cross-border activities. The MHA has said that recruitment is a continuous process.
The ministry has also adopted measures including time-bound recruitment to non-general duty cadres, annual constable recruitment through the Staff Selection Commission, faster medical examinations and regular departmental promotion exercises.
Speaking to this correspondent, security expert Brigadier BK Khanna (retd) said, “With Chinese face-offs continuing at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh, the manpower gap has acquired renewed strategic importance.
Faster recruitment, retention of experienced personnel and ration al deployment across border and internal security duties will be essential to ensure that India’s forces can sustain surveillance, respond to emerging threats and maintain operational readiness across the Northeast.”