Srinagar, Sept. 12: The Central Reserve Police Force today formally took charge of the security of the Jammu and Kashmir summer capital, relieving the Border Security Force of the responsibility after 13 years.

The BSF had been called in to take up the daunting task in 1992, three years after militancy erupted in 1989.

“The CRPF has taken over complete charge of security in the city today with the total withdrawal of all BSF troops in Srinagar city. In all, we have deployed 25 battalions of the CRPF,” inspector-general of CRPF Kashmir Ranjeet Sinha said here.

He said it was on the recommendation of the group of ministers formed after the Kargil war that the BSF has been sent back to the borders for which it was raised.

Sinha contested media reports that said “the CRPF was at a disadvantage” in tackling the high-tech insurgency in Kashmir.

“We are fully trained and equipped to take up the challenge. It is a disinformation campaign against the CRPF which tends to convey an impression that my force would not rise to the occasion.”

Sinha added: “Every security organisation had been attacked by the militants and fidayeen and such attacks are no commentary on the capacity of these organisations to deal with them. Our camps are located in densely populated areas and, whenever we have been attacked, we killed the intruders.”

Sinha said the CRPF personnel posted on the ground have been “thoroughly briefed to respect human rights and be people-friendly while discharging their duties”.

The decision to hand over the security of the Valley to the CRPF was taken two years ago, but its implementation on the ground was delayed following reservations expressed by some intelligence agencies about the wisdom of replacing the BSF when militant violence was still going on.