Key facts
- The Shaurya units are trained for close-quarters combat, high-altitude operations, drone surveillance and rapid response to border confrontations.
- ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said in October that the force had raised Shaurya teams and that they performed in face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Kapur said at least one Shaurya team had been formed in every battalion, with larger specialized formations planned.
- Every border-guarding battalion has a dedicated drone platoon, according to Kapur.
- The Shaurya formations' strength could eventually reach 800 to 1,200 personnel, reports suggest, with no official figure disclosed.
India's Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is forming specialized commando units, known as Shaurya platoons, to handle potential confrontations with Chinese troops along the disputed border, according to Indian media reports and remarks by the force's director general. The units are trained for close-quarters combat, high-altitude operations, drone surveillance and rapid response to border incidents.
The initiative follows the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash in eastern Ladakh, in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed. The ITBP has introduced a training program called Strike to prepare personnel for similar confrontations.
ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Kapur said in October that the force had already raised Shaurya commando teams and that they had demonstrated their capabilities during face-offs with Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. He said at least one Shaurya team had been formed in every battalion, with the force working toward larger specialized formations for high-altitude operations.
The modernization drive also includes expanding drone and counter-drone systems along the Himalayan frontier. According to Kapur, every border-guarding battalion has a dedicated drone platoon, and the force is training drone pilots and developing indigenous unmanned systems.
Reports suggest the overall strength of the Shaurya formations could eventually reach between 800 and 1,200 personnel, though no official figure has been disclosed. The Ministry of External Affairs said the border situation could become disturbed when Chinese forces departed from established patrolling patterns, while maintaining that India and China continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues.