SRINAGAR, July 5: Thousands of soldiers of the counter-militancy force Rashtriya Rifles (RR) will soon be shifted from Kashmir to North-Eastern India, a national newspaper has reported.
The move is aimed at countering China and to bolster India’s counter-militancy grid in the North-East, the daily Pioneer wrote.
Raised two decades ago for fighting militants in Kashmir, the Rashtriya Rifles comprises soldiers and officers drawn from various Army units like infantry, artillery and armoured corps.
RR has been ‘dreaded’ in Kashmir for their role during operations while engaging with militants in long gunfights, especially in rural areas of the valley.
According to the mewspaper, nearly 5,000 RR men (five battalions) will be shifted from the Valley to the North-East of the country in the first phase, after the issue was discussed between Defence Minister AK Antony and Army Chief General Bikram Singh in New Delhihere on Monday.
At present, 63 battalions of RR are deployed in Jammu and Kashmir while two battalions are posted in the North-East.
With security situation improving in Kashmir and violence levels petering out somewhat in the region, there have been louder demands for the revocation of laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) – which provides immunity from prosecution to security forces.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has been on the forefront, asking New Delhi to call off the AFSPA at least from certain areas of the state.
Although the army has outrightly vetoed such proposals, saying the move will prove to be “disastrous”, shifting of RR men to the North-East indicate their lessening need in Kashmir.
Growing military capabilities of China has forced the government to increase Army presence in N-E region, the newspaper wrote quoting sources.
“Sources said the Army may move five battalions of the RR to N-E in the first instance. More will follow later,” it wrote.
The Rashtriya Rifles operates in Kashmir hinterland and forms the second tier of offense near the 750-km long Line of Control(LOC) guarded by regular infantry units.
