Tackling terror: CRPF to get its own intelligence wing soon

LATUR (Maharashtra): CRPF Director General J K Sinha said on Monday that a 1,200-strong intelligence wing will become operational this month.

"With our increased responsibility to deal with militants across India, we felt the need for our own intelligence wing. We worked on it and decided to set it up with our existing resources," CRPF Director General J K Sinha said.

The independent intelligence wing, headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of police and with its headquarters in New Delhi, is expected to be fully operational within this month, officials said.

The CRPF had sent a proposal for raising the intelligence wing sometime back to the Centre, which told the central police organisation to create it with its own resources and personnel.

"We have been sharing information with state and Central security agencies for long. This process will be strengthened now," Sinha said.

Sources said the personnel for the intelligence wing are being picked from different battalions and wings of the CRPF. The headquarters will have a staff of 30. The intelligence set-up in each of the 14 sectors of the CRPF will be headed by a deputy inspector general of police, they said.

In the different sectors, intelligence will be shared with state governments. At the headquarters, all intelligence inputs will be shared with the Intelligence Bureau and other central agencies, the sources said.

The main task of the wing will be to gather information at the ground level and send reports to the headquarters, which will analyse the information so that action can be taken. Directives will then be sent to units for operations and other action, they said.