JAMMU (Kashmir English): In a fresh attempt to expand militarisation along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has announced the establishment of 10 all-women border outposts along the India-China frontier, a move observers see more about optics and political signaling than operational necessity.
According to Kashmir Media Service, ITBP Director General Praveen Kumar disclosed the plan during the force’s 64th Raising Day parade held in Jammu.
The ITBP, which operates under India’s Home Ministry, guards the 3,488-km-long LAC across harsh Himalayan terrain.
India’s “forwardisation” strategy
Praveen Kumar said the step is part of India’s “forwardisation” strategy launched after the 2020 military standoff with China in Ladakh.
He said 215 forward border posts have already been pushed further ahead from earlier 180 positions, while seven new battalions and a sector headquarters sanctioned in 2023 have strengthened this expansion.
The ITBP intends to establish 41 additional forward bases along the LAC in the coming months.
As part of the new posture, the force will create two all-women Border Outposts in Ladakh’s Lukung and in Thangi, Himachal Pradesh. Eight more such all-women posts will follow, taking the total number to 10.
The DG added that training institutions have been “reorganised” with new skill modules, including mountain warfare and tactical survival, as the ITBP continues to deploy personnel at heights of 9,000–14,000 feet in sub-zero conditions.
Besides other motives, analysts see the move as a propaganda tool to counter criticism. The Modi regime faces allegations of marginalising women through discriminatory laws and social policies.
