Goodbye to Western names, only Indian names for its K9 team members, decides ITBP

The ITBP has recently given names of pups born a few months back – Galwan, Shyok, and it has been decided by DG ITBP SS Deswal to give Indian names to its K9 team members.

“Junking the traditional western names for K9s, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has for the first time in any Central Armed Forces history, given local names for cute little warrior pups of its famous K9 wing. The pups have been named as a respect of all the troops guarding the excruciatingly tough borders of the country,” ITBP said who organised the Naamkaran ceremony of 17 pups.

“A formal ‘Naamkaran Ceremony’ was held at National Training Centre for Dogs, ITBP BTC, Bhanu, Panchkula Haryana where the Force had named the 17 malinois pups born a couple of months ago from ITBP dogs- Gala the Father and Olga and Oleshya the mothers,” the ITBP said.

The names of the pups are- Ane-la, Galwan, Sasoma, Chip-chap, Saser, Srijap, Charding, Rezang, Daulat, Sultan-chusku, Imis, Rango, Yula, Mukhpri, Chung-Thung, Khardungi, and Shyok.

“By naming these little K9 soldiers with 100 per cent desi names, that too from the areas guarded by the force, it is for the first time since independence, that the K9 wing of the country will acknowledge its own legacy and ethos,” ITBP said.

The force plans that the next batch of pups will be named after other prominent names of the icy frontiers where ITBP is deployed covering the entire 3,488 km long border from the Karakoram to Jechap La guarded by this elite mountain crack outfit, says ITBP.

ITBP has received requests from other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for these pups to be used for their security duties.

ITBP was the first force to deploy Malinois dogs in LWE hit areas a decade ago, and now they have also started scientifically breeding K9s to meet own demands and provide pups to other CAPFs and State Police Forces as mandated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The 90,000 personnel ITBP was raised in 1962 in the aftermath of the Chinese aggression and apart from its primary duty to guard the China border, it is also tasked to carry out various internal security duties including anti-Naxal operations.