Plan to post DIG-rank officer in Dharamsala

Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 6

The recent incursions on the China border, terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the security of Tibetan spiritual head the Dalai Lama and increase in the crime rate have triggered the need to strengthen the intelligence network in the border areas and the government is planning to post a senior officer of a DIG rank in Dharamsala to focus on security and intelligence.

In the past few years, Dharamsala has become the hub of activities due to the presence of the Dalai Lama and a large number of people were visiting Kangra and Chamba areas, heightening the security risk, said DGP Sanjay Kundu.

Chamba shares borders with J&K while Chamba, Kangra and Una also share borders with Punjab. The attack on the Pathankot Air Force station in 2016 and arrest of two LeT operators in Pathankot had made the border areas vulnerable.

These places are so far from Shimla that it takes more than six hours to reach Dharamsala and another four hours to Chamba and in case of some exigency, rapid mobility was a serious challenge, said the ADGP (CID) in a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary (Home).

Dharamsala is the headquarters of the biggest district and with the increasing number of national and international events like IPL matches and Global Investors’ Meet, need for intelligence and security was being felt more, the letter said.

There is no officer of a higher rank at Dharamsala to address the security and intelligence concerns and deployment of senior police officer will cater to needs of five contiguous districts of Kangra, Chamba, Una, Bilaspur and Hamirpur.