Post Doklam, SSB strengthens presence on India-Bhutan border with eye on China

According to the newly-appointed SSB chief, several border outposts have been set up along the India-Bhutan border after the standoff with China at Doklam

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) -- the country’s youngest paramilitary force -- on Wednesday said it has increased its strength along the India-Bhutan border in view of the Doklam standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies.

This file photo shows a Chinese soldier (L) next to an Indian soldier at the Nathu La border crossing between India and China in Sikkim. (AFP Photo)

“Following Doklam standoff, SSB is slightly increasing its presence in the eastern part of Sikkim on India-Bhutan border,” its Director General Rajni Kant Mishra said at the annual function of the force here.

According to the newly-appointed SSB chief, a 1984 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer, several border outposts have been set up along the border.

The SSB has guarded the 1,751-km India-Nepal and 699-km India-Bhutan borders since its inception.

Indian and Chinese soldiers were locked in a 73-day standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim section of the India-China border over the building of a road by the Chinese military in the area that is claimed by Bhutan. The crisis was resolved on August 28.