INDIAN FORCES can be “more hostile” to Chinese troops if needed “in case of national interest and to protect our borders”, and are enhancing their capabilities regularly to face any situation, according to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief SS Deswal.
Speaking to The Indian Express on Monday, a day before he retires from service, DGP Deswal also said that forces under his command had to “take multiple steps on a daily basis” to secure India's embassy and consulates in Afghanistan and ensure the evacuation of its diplomats and nationals.
Apart from guarding the India-China border, the ITBP had been responsible for securing Indian missions at Jalalabad, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar, and the embassy in Kabul. Deswal is a 1984-batch Haryana-cadre IPS officer, who served as ITBP chief for two years and 10 months.
Describing the India-China border as an “active border” from 2020, the ITBP chief said: “Any attempt to disrupt the equilibrium between the two countries will not be permitted. We have the capabilities and those capabilities…were reflected last year also. Wherever such attempts to change the ground situation were made, our forces gave complete resistance. Galwan was an example. We have brave soldiers who are always willing to sacrifice their lives for the country.”
Deswal was referring to the border clash in June last year in the Galwan valley where 20 Indian Army personnel and an unconfirmed number of Chinese troops were killed….
