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Border Security Force

The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on December 1 1965, "for ensuring the security of the borders of India and for matters connected there with".[5][6]

Border Security Force
सीमा सुरक्षा बल
Crest of the Border Security Force
Flag of Border Security Force
Common nameBorder security force
AbbreviationBSF
Mottoजीवन पर्यन्त कर्तव्य[1]
Agency overview
Formed1 December, 1965
Employees265,000 active personnel[2]
Annual budget22,718.45 crore (US$2.8 billion) (2022–23)[3]
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agencyIndia
Operations jurisdictionIndia
Governing bodyMinistry of Home Affairs (India)
Constituting instrument
  • Border Security Force Act, 1968
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersNew Delhi, India
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Parent agencyMinistry of Home Affairs
Facilities
Boats500+
Aircraft24
AnimalsDogs, Camels, Horses
Website
bsf.gov.in

It has various active roles during an outbreak of war. It is the only CAPF to have a Water Wing, Air Wing and an Artillery Regiment. It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The BSF has its own small force of officers or "Cadre". However, its head, designated as a Director-General (DG), has been an Indian Police Service officer since its establishment.[6] The BSF has grown exponentially from 25 battalions in 1965, to 192 battalions with a sanctioned strength of 270,363 personnel including an expanding air wing, Marine wing, an artillery regiment, and specialized units.[7][8] It currently stands as the world's largest and most powerful border guarding force. BSF has been termed the First Line of Defence of Indian territories.[9]

A soldier of Border Security Force in one of the ceremonial uniforms.

History

Since independence, the protection of India's international boundaries was the responsibility of the local police belonging to each border state, with little inter-state coordination.[10] However, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Pakistan attacked Sardar Post, Chhar Bet, and Beria Bet on 9 April 1965 in Kutch. This attack exposed the inadequacy of the State Armed Police to cope with armed aggression. Thus, after the end of the war, the government created the Border Security Force as a unified central agency with the specific mandate of guarding India's international borders. This act brought greater cohesion in border security. K F Rustamji, from the Indian Police Service, was the first Director General of the BSF. Since it was a new force, the officers had to be deputed or inducted from outside to fill the various vacancies at various levels until the force's own cadre matured sufficiently. It was for this reason that emergency commissioned officers and SS officers of the Indian Army were inducted in large numbers into the force along with IPS officers who were deputed to the force for high level appointments.[10]

The BSF's capabilities were used in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 against Pakistani forces in areas where the Regular Forces were thinly spread; BSF troops took part in several operations including the famous Battle of Longewala. In fact, for BSF the war on the eastern front had started well before the war actually broke out in December 1971. BSF had trained, supported and formed part of Mukti Bahini and had entered erstwhile East Pakistan before the actual hostilities broke out. BSF had played a very important role in Liberation of Bangladesh which Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rehman had also acknowledged.


Engagements

Objectives

During peacetime

  • Border guard and security.
  • Prevention trans-border crimes, unauthorized entry into or exit from the territory of India.
  • Prevention of smuggling and any other illegal activities on the border.
  • Anti-infiltration duties.
  • Collection trans-border intelligence.
  • To promote a sense of security among the people living in the border areas.

During war time

  • Holding ground in assigned sectors.
  • Limited aggressive action against irregular forces of the enemy.
  • Maintenance of law and order in enemy territory administered under the Army's control.
  • Acting as guides to the Army in border areas.
  • Assistance in control of refugees.
  • Provision of escorts.
  • Performing special tasks connected with intelligence including cross-border raids.[11]
  • Replenishing manpower.

BSF is also employed for Internal Security Duties and other law and order duties on the requisition of the State Government. Being a Central Armed Police Force it can be entrusted with policing duties at any place apart from its mandate.[11]

Organisation

 
BSF band marching contingent during the 63rd Republic Day Parade.
 
The Home Minister with children who are part of the Bharat Darshan Tour organized by the BSF in 2012.
 
Women personnel of BSF taking part in the ceremonial retreat at the India-Pakistan border at Wagah, 2010.
 
A BSF soldier performs at the Attari–Wagah border ceremony metres from a Pakistan Rangers soldier.
 

The Border Security Force has its headquarters in New Delhi and is known as Force Headquarters (FHQ) headed by a Director General. Various directorates like Operations, Communications & IT, Training, Engineering, General, Law, Provisioning, Administration, Personnel, Armaments, Medical, Finance etc. function under the DG. Each directorate is headed by an IG. The Eastern Theatre is looked after by Spl DG HQ (Eastern Command) at Kolkata and the Western Theatre is looked after by Spl DG HQ (Western Command) at Chandigarh. Field Formations in BSF are headed by an IG and are known as Frontiers Headquarters (FtrHQ). There is 13 such Frontier under which Sector Headquarters (SHQ) function headed by a DIG each. Each SHQ has under its command 4–5 infantry battalions, along with attachments of artillery, air and water wings. Presently 186 battalions are sanctioned to BSF. Five major training institutions and ten Subsidiary Training Centres (STCs) are imparting ab-initio as well as in-service training to its ranks and other CPOs/SPOs including IPS Probationers.

BSF is the only Central Armed Police force to have its own Air Wing and artillery regiment, and besides ITBP to have a Water Wing. All these specialized wings support the General Duty Battalions in their operations. The Financial Adviser of the BSF has been an Indian Revenue Service officer of the rank of Joint Secretary and also has Dy Advisers from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Indian Civil Account Service and Indian Defence Account Service.

The BSF also has a national level school for the breeding and training of dogs. Dogs from other CPOs and State Police are sent to National Training Centre for Dogs (NTCD) to be trained in infantry patrol, detection of explosives, tracking and the like.[12]

The BSF maintains a Tear Smoke Unit (TSU), which is unique in India. The TSU is responsible for producing tear gas munitions required for the Anti-Riot Forces. It also exports a substantial quantity to other countries.[13][14]

Three battalions of the BSF, located at Kolkata, Guwahati, and Patna, are designated as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Each battalion maintains 18 self-contained specialist search and rescue teams of 45 personnel each, including engineers, technicians, electricians, dog squads and medics and paramedics. The establishment of each battalion is 1,158 personnel. The NDRF is a multi-disciplinary, multi-skilled, high-tech force for all types of disasters and can deploy to disasters by air, sea, and land. These battalions are equipped and trained for all natural disasters including combating Chemical, Biological Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) disasters.

Since 2014, As a part of modernisation, BSF also started installing infra-red, thermal imagers, aerostats for aerial surveillance, ground sensors, radars, sonar systems to secure riverine borders, fibre-optic sensor and laser beam intrusion detection systems on specific sections of border with Pakistan as well as Bangladesh. These Hi-tech systems are installed in areas where barbed wire fencing could not be installed due to treacherous terrain or marshy riverine topography. The largest section of this system is located at Dhubri, Assam, where Brahmaputra river enters Bangladesh.[15][16]

ORBAT

  • Western Command, Chandigarh
    • Gujarat Frontier, Gandhinagar
      • Barmer Sector
      • Gandhinagar Sector
      • Bhuj Sector,
    • Rajasthan Frontier, Jodhpur
      • Jaisalmer I Sector
      • Jaisalmer II Sector
      • Bikaner Sector
      • Ganganagar Sector
    • Punjab Frontier, Jalandhar
      • Ferozepur Sector
      • Amritsar Sector
      • Gurdaspur Sector
    • Jammu Frontier, Jammu
      • Jammu Sector
      • Sunderbani Sector
      • Rajauri Sector
      • I/Nagar Sector
    • Kashmir Frontier, Humhama
      • Srinagar Sector
      • Baramulla Sector
      • Bandipore Sector
      • Kupwara Sector
  • Eastern Command, Kolkata
    • South Bengal Frontier,[17] Kolkata
    • North Bengal Frontier, Kadamtala
    • Meghalaya Frontier
      • SHQ Mawpat, Shillong
      • FHQ Umpling, Shillong
    • Tripura Frontier, Agartala
    • Mizoram & Cachar Frontier, Masimpur
      • Aizawl Sector
      • Cachar Sector
      • CI Ops Manipur
    • Assam Frontier, Guwahati
    • ANO(Anti-Naxal Operation) Frontier, Bangalore

Special Detachments

Creek Crocodile

The Creek Crocodile is the specialized commando unit of BSF. Primary objective of this unit is to act as Quick reaction force and prevent smuggling and infiltration by unwanted elements. The unit is specifically deployed at Indus River Estuaries in Gujarat and Sir Creek. It was raised in 2009.[18] The base of operations of this unit is located at Koteshwar outpost of BSF.[18] They are equipped with ATVs and fast patrol boats.[19]

Camel Contingent

 
Camel contingent during a parade

BSF Camel Contingent is a specialized battalion-size Camelry Unit which has its roots in Bikaner Camel Corps. The primary purpose of this unit is to patrol the desert section of the border with Pakistan. This unit has a strength of 1200 camels and 800 riders. Both camels as well as riders are trained at Camel Training Centre located at BSF Frontier Headquarters in Jodhpur.[20]

However, with force modernization pacing up, BSF has equipped its formation across the western border with All-Terrain Vehicles and other specialized apparatus.

List of DGs of BSF

K.F. Rustamji, IPS[21] was appointed as the first Director General of Border Security Force from 22 July 1965 to 30 September 1972 and the current Director General is Sujoy Lal Thaosen, IPS, since 1 January 2023.[22]

No. Name Start End
1 Khusro Faramurz Rustamji 22 Jul 1965 30 Sep 1972
2 Aswini Kumar 01 Oct 1972 31 Dec 1977
3 Sharawan Tandon 01 Jan 1978 30 Nov 1980
4 K. Rama Murti 01 Dec 1980 31 Aug 1982
5 Birbal Nath 01 Sep 1982 30 Sep 1984
6 M.C. Misra 01 Oct 1984 31 Jul 1987
7 H.P. Bhatnagar 01 Aug 1987 31 Jul 1990
8 T. Ananthachary 01 Aug 1990 31 May 1993
9 Prakash Singh 09 Jun 1993 31 Jan 1994
10 D.K. Arya 01 Feb 1994 03 Dec 1995
11 Arun Bhagat 04 Dec 1995 02 Oct 1996
12 A.K. Tandon 02 Oct 1996 04 Dec 1997
13 E.N. Rammohan 04 Dec 1997 30 Nov 2000
14 Gurbachan Singh Jagat 30 Nov 2000 30 Jun 2002
15 Ajay Raj Sharma 01 Jul 2002 31 Dec 2004
16 R.S. Mooshahary 31 Dec 2004 26 Feb 2006
17 A.K. Mitra 27 Feb 2006 30 Sep 2008
18 M.L. Kumawat 01 Oct 2008 31 Jul 2009
19 Raman Srivastava 01 Aug 2009 31 Oct 2011
20 U.K. Bansal 01 Nov 2011 30 Nov 2012
21 Subhash Joshi 19 December 2012 28 February 2014
22 D.K. Pathak 8 March 2014 29 February 2016
23 K.K. Sharma 1 March 2016 30 September 2018
24 Rajni Kant Mishra 1 October 2018 31 August 2019
25 V.K. Johri 1 September 2019 10 March 2020
26 Surjeet Singh Deswal 11 March 2020 17 August 2020
27 Rakesh Asthana 18 August 2020 28 July 2021
28 Surjeet Singh Deswal 28 July 2021 31 Aug 2021
29 Pankaj Kumar Singh 1 September 2021 31 December 2022
30 Sujoy Lal Thaosen 1 January 2023 Incumbent

Counter-Insurgency Operations

Although, originally charged with guarding India's external boundaries, the BSF in the 1990s was also given the task in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in Jammu andnd Kashmir, Punjab, and the Northeastern Seven Sister States. While in Punjab, BSF took part in operations like Blue Star, Black Thunder 1 & 2. However, when the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir broke out in 1989, it moved towards the state and handed over the operations in Punjab to CRPF and local police. In Jammu and Kashmir, state police and the thinly-deployed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) struggled to cope with the spiraling violence, so it was deployed to combat these.

In Jammu and Kashmir, BSF initially suffered casualties from terrorist attacks but later saw successes. During the initial years, terrorist activity had even reached Jammu and parts of Northern Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. However, it was only due successful operations by BSF that by the late 1990s, their area of activity had restricted only to the valley. BSF was also successful in setting up a robust HUMINT network. BSF is also credited for killing Ghazi Baba - chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed and the mastermind of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in August 2003, along with his deputy commander. The BSF had raided Baba's hideout in Srinagar and he was killed in the ensuing gun battle along with his deputy chief.

However, with changing tactical and operational conditions, and expansion and modernization of State police, the Government withdrew all 16 BSF battalions and redeployed them on the Indo-Pakistani border and Bangladesh–India border. These troops were then replaced by fresh troops from the CRPF that had undergone specialised training in counter-terrorism.

Some units of BSF are also deployed in Central India to combat Naxal violence. Counter-Maoist operations are diversified between. BSF is deployed in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, where Naxal strength is comparatively thinner than that of other parts of Bastar region. At present total 15 battalions of BSF are stationed in different parts of Kanker district to combat the Naxal menace.

After recent civilian killings in Kashmir the Home Ministry reinducted BSF for counter-insurgency operations and law-and-order duties in valley. The BSF units will be deployed in sensitive areas which lie in various districts of the Kashmir valley.However, A great work done By Commandant Jagmohan Singh Rawat SM,KC in the Kashmir valley.He has significantly played a crucial role in such kind of operations.

Proposal regarding guarding the Indo-Myanmar border

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has been considering a proposal to entrust the border-guarding duty along the Indo-Myanmar border to the Border Security Force (BSF). Presently, the 1,640 kilometres (1,020 mi) Indo-Myanmar border is being guarded by Assam Rifles.

The proposed move to guard the Indo-Myanmar border follows a proposal from the BSF to take over the role by raising 45 new battalions, one headquarters of additional director general, four frontier headquarters to be headed by an IG rank official and 12 sector headquarters to be headed by DIG level officials. However, as of 1 March 2015, it was decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs to keep the authority of this border with Assam Rifles only.

Proposed ORBAT for Myanmar Border

  • Northeast Command HQ, Imphal
    • Mizoram Frontier
    • Manipur Frontier
    • Nagaland Frontier
    • Arunachal frontier

Rank structure

Officers
Rank group General/flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
  Border Security Force
           
Inspector General
-
Deputy Inspector-General
-
Commandant
-
Second-In-Command
-
Deputy Commandant
-
Assistant Commandant
-
Police equivalent
Director General Director General Additional
Director General
Inspector General (IG) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Senior Superintendent (SSP) Addittional Deputy Inspector General (Addl.DIG) (Assistant Inspector General) (AIGP) (Assistant Inspector General) (AIGP) ACP/ASP(2 years Service) Assistant Superintendent of Police ACP/ASP
Army equivalent Lieutenant
General
(Level 17)
Lieutenant
General
(Level 16)
Lieutenant
General
(Level 15)
Major general Brigadier Colonel Lieutenant Colonel Major Captain Lieutenant
Enlisted ranks
Rank group Junior commissioned officers Non commissioned officer Enlisted
  Border Security Force
          No insignia
Subedar Major
-
Inspector
-
Sub-inspector
-
Assistant Sub-inspector
-
Head Constable
-
Constable
-

Awards

The BSF personnel have been recipients of the following awards:

Military awards

Civil awards

Police medals

Arjuna awardees

  1. Comdt (Retd) Nripjit Singh, Volleyball-1962
  2. Dy Comdt (Retd) Udham Singh, Hockey-1965
  3. Dy Comdt (Retd) Praveen Kumar, Athletic-1967
  4. Inspr (Retd) Jagjit Singh, Hockey-1967
  5. Asst Comdt (Retd) Ajit Pal Singh, Hockey-1970
  6. Dy Comdt (Retd) Balwant Singh, Volleyball-1972
  7. Sec-in-Command Anil Kumar, B/Ball-1974
  8. Dy Inspr Gen (Retd) Mohinder Singh, Shooting-1983
  9. Asst Comdt Mahabir Singh, Wrestling-1985
  10. Asst Comdt Subhash Verma, Wrestling-1987
  11. Inspr Rajesh Kumar, Wrestling-1990
  12. Inspr Sanjay Kumar, Wrestling-1998

Equipment

All the equipment including the uniforms, weapons, ammunition, vehicles such as the bullet proof vehicles, troop carriers, logistics vehicles, mine protected vehicles are manufactured indigenously at the Indian Ordnance Factories under control of the Ordnance Factories Board.[23] Drone and anti-drone equipment is an upcoming acquisition.[24][25]

Pistols and handguns

Sub-machine guns and carbines

Assault rifles

  • AKM: 7.62x39mm assault rifle.
  • INSAS: 5.56 mm × 45 mm Assault Rifle. Service rifle of the force.
  • Tavor: X95 or the MTAR-21 version used as the standard issue carbine
  • Trichy 7.62x39mm Assault Rifle

Machine guns

 
 
FN MAG medium machine gun

Sniper rifles

Multi-role recoilless rifle

Grenade launchers

Artillery

[27]

Armoured

Aircraft

[28]

MANPADS

Watercraft

Criticism and controversy

Canadian controversy

In 2010, some Canadian visa officials rejected the immigration application of a retired BSF soldier Fateh Singh Pandher, terming BSF a "notoriously violent paramilitary unit engaged in systematic attacks on civilians and responsible for torturing suspected criminals". This accusation did not go down well with the Indian government. The Indian External Affairs Ministry was asked by the Home minister to take up the issue with Canada.[29][30] The Home ministry of India, as well as the Indian public in general and several of India's political parties, expressed outrage at this attack and called Canada's actions discriminatory and spurious, and their charges against the BSF as baseless and unproven. The Indian government threatened diplomatic retaliation unless Canada withdrew their allegations. The Canadian government did not respond immediately.[31] It was speculated that diplomatic retaliation from India will consist of banning Canadians going to participate the War in Afghanistan if they are doing so through India. Public outrage in India prompted Canadian authorities to express "great respect for India's armed forces and related institutions".[32] Subsequently, India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned Canadian High Commissioner Joseph Caron and demanded that "the blatant discrimination against Indian security agencies" cease.[33] India's Minister of External Affairs, SM Krishna, condemned Canada's actions and has expressed pride in the accomplishments of the BSF.[34]

Following complaints made by the Indian government and criticism of Canada's actions against India, the Harper government retracted their earlier accusations against BSF security officials. Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, termed as "unfortunate" the incidents involving use of "foul language by the Canadian High Commission in visa rejection letters to some individuals", Kenney said, "This language, or the inaccurate impression it has created, in no way reflects the policy or position of the Government of Canada."[35]

Bangladesh border killings

According to the Bangladeshi government, 136 civilians were killed and a further 170 others suffered injuries in 2009. The Indian government has said that 67 were killed and 80 injured in 2009.[36] The Bangladesh government and Bangladeshi organizations protested heavily against these alleged killings. Media reports claim that in August 2008, Indian BSF officials admitted that they killed 59 persons (34 Bangladeshis, 21 Indians, rest unidentified) who were trying to cross the border illegally during the prior six months.[37] Indian media claimed that, in 2001, Bangladesh Rifles ambushed and killed 16 BSF soldiers while they were chasing some Bangladeshi smugglers back into the Bangladesh. Since then, the BSF has been compelled to act tough against Bangladeshi illegals.[38] There was perceived retaliation by the BSF but was averted after Home Ministers of both countries had talks on the issue.

In July 2009 Channel 4 News reported that apparently "hundreds" of Bangladeshis and Indians are indiscriminately killed by the BSF along the Indo-Bangladeshi Barrier. The BSF claims that the barrier's main purpose is to check illegal immigration to India, and prevent cross-border terrorism from Islamists.[39]

Bangladeshi media accused the BSF of abducting 5 Bangladeshi children, aged between 8 and 15, from the Haripur Upazila in Thakurgaon District of Bangladesh, in 2010. The children were setting fishing nets near the border.[40]

In 2010, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued an 81-page report which alleged "over 900 of abuses by the BSF" in the first decade of the 21st century. The report was compiled from interviews with victims of BSF shootings, witnesses and members of the BSF and its Bangladeshi counterpart. According to HRW, while most of them were killed when they crossed into Indian territory for indulging in cattle raiding or other smuggling activities.[41]

In February 2012, the BSF website was hacked by Bangladeshi hackers in retaliation. The hackers later shared the news in the internet and also in the other social sites where they claimed to have defaced the sites asking the BSF to stop killing Bangladeshis at border. The site became normal sometime on 15 February 2012.[42][43][44][45]

Challenges

Working conditions

Working conditions of the BSF have been questioned.[46] "Zero Error Syndrome" adds stress.[47] A home ministry standing committee report on the "Working Conditions in Border Guarding Forces" was published in December 2018, it was chaired by P. Chidambaram.[48][49]

Health

Health of employees remains a challenge, and given the numbers of the force, more employees, as compared to operational deaths, die of diseases, illness; and mental health issues have also been raised and addressed by the force.[50][51][52]

In Media

See also

References

  1. ^ . Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  2. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Rs 1.85 lakh crore allocation to MHA in budget". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Pankaj Kumar Singh appointed new BSF DG, Sanjay Arora to head ITBP". The Financial Express. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  5. ^ Government of India (2 September 1968). (PDF) (in English and Hindi). Ministry of Law (Legislative Department ). pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Role of the BSF". Border Security Force, Ministry of Home Affairs, India. from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  7. ^ "BSF Air Wing". Border Security Force. from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  8. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2017.
  9. ^ "BSF is first Wall of Defence of India, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh at 13th Investiture Ceremony". Biharprabha News. ANI. 22 May 2015. from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  10. ^ a b . bsf.nic.in. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015.
  11. ^ a b Page no. 636 & 637 of Chapter 20 India 2013 published by Publications Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India
  12. ^ "National Training Centre For Dogs... where pooches get trained!". Dogs and Pups Magazine. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  13. ^ Singh, Rakesh K (3 October 2014). "BSF's tear smoke unit on automation drive". The Pioneer. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  14. ^ "BSF tear gas unit cries out for government attention". Rediff. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Union Home Minister launches Smart Fencing on International border, an effective deterrence against illegal infiltration". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Dozen laser walls activated along Indo-Pak border". Economic Times. PTI. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  17. ^ "sb.bsf.gov.in". from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  18. ^ a b "New force of BSF to man hostile creeks along Indo-Pak border". The Hindu. PTI. 27 November 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  19. ^ "Smart border management: Indian coastal and maritime security" (PDF). PricewaterhouseCoopers, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). September 2017.
  20. ^ Menon, Aparna (December 2015). "Did you know The Border Security Force has a camel band? Here's all about BSF and Its Camels". The Better India. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  21. ^ "Border Security Force -Photo Gallary(Civic)". bsf.nic.in. from the original on 26 July 2016.
  22. ^ . 2020. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Indian Ordnance Factories: OFB in Brief". from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  24. ^ Chandra, Girish (23 August 2020). "BSF To Get 436 Drones & New Anti-Drone Systems". DefenceXP. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  25. ^ "BSF To Procure 'Anti Drone Guns' To Counter Pak Drones". Pratidin Time. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  26. ^ . The Hindu. Chennai, India. 15 February 2008. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  27. ^ "BSF Artillery turns 50". Aviation Defence Universe. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  28. ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (19 March 2020). "BSF Air Wing aims to soar higher with a mix of defence and civilian regulations". ThePrint. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  29. ^ . Hindustan Times. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  30. ^ Kumar, Vinay (22 May 2010). "Terming BSF". The Hindu. from the original on 8 October 2017.
  31. ^ . Times of India. 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  32. ^ . The Times of India. 22 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  33. ^ . CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  34. ^ "Visa Row, India warns Canada". Deccanherald.com. from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  35. ^ . The Hindu Business Line. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  36. ^ "BSF killed 136 Bangladeshis since 2009". 25 March 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  37. ^ India says 59 killed over last six months on Bangladesh border 26 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Reuters, 24 August 2008.
  38. ^ "Fortress India – By Scott Carney, Jason Miklian, and Kristian Hoelscher". Foreign Policy. from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  39. ^ "Channel 4 News". 24 July 2009. from the original on 28 December 2009.
  40. ^ "BSF abducts 5 children from border". The Daily Star. 24 July 2010. from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  41. ^ "India/Bangladesh: Indiscriminate Killings, Abuse by Border Officers". Human Rights Watch. 9 December 2010. from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  42. ^ . The Times of India. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013.
  43. ^ . Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  44. ^ . Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  45. ^ . আমার দেশ. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  46. ^ Kumar, Manan, ed. (15 April 2017). "Need for better living conditions for BSF jawans". DNA India. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  47. ^ "'Job stress leading BSF men to sleep-deprived nomadic life'". The Economic Times. PTI. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  48. ^ "Working Conditions in Border Guarding Forces. Standing Committee Report Summary". PRS Legislative Research. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  49. ^ (PDF). Rajya Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi. December 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2022.
  50. ^ "More BSF men dying of mental illness, lifestyle diseases rather than operations". Hindustan Times. PTI. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  51. ^ Shreyas, Ananth (16 May 2018). "BSF makes mental well-being tests and training mandatory for its personnel; here's why". The Financial Express. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  52. ^ Kaur, Kamaljit (22 March 2017). "BSF meet addresses mental health, well-being issues of soldiers". India Today. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  53. ^ BSF: India's First Line of Defence, retrieved 19 February 2023
  54. ^ "BSF..." Hotstar. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

External links

  • Official website
  • Global Security
  • Tear Smoke Unit

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This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject s importance use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Border Security Force BSF is India s border guarding organisation on its borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces CAPF of India and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on December 1 1965 for ensuring the security of the borders of India and for matters connected there with 5 6 Border Security Forceस म स रक ष बलCrest of the Border Security ForceFlag of Border Security ForceCommon nameBorder security forceAbbreviationBSFMottoज वन पर यन त कर तव य 1 Agency overviewFormed1 December 1965Employees265 000 active personnel 2 Annual budget 22 718 45 crore US 2 8 billion 2022 23 3 Jurisdictional structureFederal agencyIndiaOperations jurisdictionIndiaGoverning bodyMinistry of Home Affairs India Constituting instrumentBorder Security Force Act 1968General natureFederal law enforcementOperational structureHeadquartersNew Delhi IndiaMinister responsibleAmit Shah Minister of Home AffairsAgency executiveSujoy Lal Thaosen IPS Director General 4 Parent agencyMinistry of Home AffairsFacilitiesBoats500 Aircraft24AnimalsDogs Camels HorsesWebsitebsf wbr gov wbr inIt has various active roles during an outbreak of war It is the only CAPF to have a Water Wing Air Wing and an Artillery Regiment It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs The BSF has its own small force of officers or Cadre However its head designated as a Director General DG has been an Indian Police Service officer since its establishment 6 The BSF has grown exponentially from 25 battalions in 1965 to 192 battalions with a sanctioned strength of 270 363 personnel including an expanding air wing Marine wing an artillery regiment and specialized units 7 8 It currently stands as the world s largest and most powerful border guarding force BSF has been termed the First Line of Defence of Indian territories 9 A soldier of Border Security Force in one of the ceremonial uniforms Contents 1 History 1 1 Engagements 2 Objectives 3 Organisation 3 1 ORBAT 3 2 Special Detachments 3 2 1 Creek Crocodile 3 2 2 Camel Contingent 4 List of DGs of BSF 5 Counter Insurgency Operations 6 Proposal regarding guarding the Indo Myanmar border 7 Rank structure 8 Awards 8 1 Military awards 8 2 Civil awards 8 3 Police medals 8 4 Arjuna awardees 9 Equipment 9 1 Pistols and handguns 9 2 Sub machine guns and carbines 9 3 Assault rifles 9 4 Machine guns 9 5 Sniper rifles 9 6 Multi role recoilless rifle 9 7 Grenade launchers 9 8 Artillery 9 9 Armoured 9 10 Aircraft 9 11 MANPADS 9 12 Watercraft 10 Criticism and controversy 10 1 Canadian controversy 10 2 Bangladesh border killings 11 Challenges 11 1 Working conditions 11 2 Health 12 In Media 13 See also 14 References 15 External linksHistory EditSince independence the protection of India s international boundaries was the responsibility of the local police belonging to each border state with little inter state coordination 10 However during the Indo Pakistani War of 1965 Pakistan attacked Sardar Post Chhar Bet and Beria Bet on 9 April 1965 in Kutch This attack exposed the inadequacy of the State Armed Police to cope with armed aggression Thus after the end of the war the government created the Border Security Force as a unified central agency with the specific mandate of guarding India s international borders This act brought greater cohesion in border security K F Rustamji from the Indian Police Service was the first Director General of the BSF Since it was a new force the officers had to be deputed or inducted from outside to fill the various vacancies at various levels until the force s own cadre matured sufficiently It was for this reason that emergency commissioned officers and SS officers of the Indian Army were inducted in large numbers into the force along with IPS officers who were deputed to the force for high level appointments 10 The BSF s capabilities were used in the Indo Pakistani War of 1971 against Pakistani forces in areas where the Regular Forces were thinly spread BSF troops took part in several operations including the famous Battle of Longewala In fact for BSF the war on the eastern front had started well before the war actually broke out in December 1971 BSF had trained supported and formed part of Mukti Bahini and had entered erstwhile East Pakistan before the actual hostilities broke out BSF had played a very important role in Liberation of Bangladesh which Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rehman had also acknowledged Engagements Edit Indo Pakistani War of 1971 Operation Blue Star Operation Black Thunder Insurgency in Punjab Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Operation Vijay Kargil War 2001 Bangladeshi Indian border skirmishes 2001 2002 Operation Prakarm India Pakistan Standoff 2013 India Pakistan Border skirmishes 2014 15 India Pakistan border skirmishes 2016 2018 India Pakistan border skirmishes 2019 India Pakistan border skirmishesObjectives EditDuring peacetime Border guard and security Prevention trans border crimes unauthorized entry into or exit from the territory of India Prevention of smuggling and any other illegal activities on the border Anti infiltration duties Collection trans border intelligence To promote a sense of security among the people living in the border areas During war time Holding ground in assigned sectors Limited aggressive action against irregular forces of the enemy Maintenance of law and order in enemy territory administered under the Army s control Acting as guides to the Army in border areas Assistance in control of refugees Provision of escorts Performing special tasks connected with intelligence including cross border raids 11 Replenishing manpower BSF is also employed for Internal Security Duties and other law and order duties on the requisition of the State Government Being a Central Armed Police Force it can be entrusted with policing duties at any place apart from its mandate 11 Organisation Edit BSF band marching contingent during the 63rd Republic Day Parade The Home Minister with children who are part of the Bharat Darshan Tour organized by the BSF in 2012 Women personnel of BSF taking part in the ceremonial retreat at the India Pakistan border at Wagah 2010 A BSF soldier performs at the Attari Wagah border ceremony metres from a Pakistan Rangers soldier At the Petrapole Benapole Border Ceremony BSF and BGB The Border Security Force has its headquarters in New Delhi and is known as Force Headquarters FHQ headed by a Director General Various directorates like Operations Communications amp IT Training Engineering General Law Provisioning Administration Personnel Armaments Medical Finance etc function under the DG Each directorate is headed by an IG The Eastern Theatre is looked after by Spl DG HQ Eastern Command at Kolkata and the Western Theatre is looked after by Spl DG HQ Western Command at Chandigarh Field Formations in BSF are headed by an IG and are known as Frontiers Headquarters FtrHQ There is 13 such Frontier under which Sector Headquarters SHQ function headed by a DIG each Each SHQ has under its command 4 5 infantry battalions along with attachments of artillery air and water wings Presently 186 battalions are sanctioned to BSF Five major training institutions and ten Subsidiary Training Centres STCs are imparting ab initio as well as in service training to its ranks and other CPOs SPOs including IPS Probationers BSF is the only Central Armed Police force to have its own Air Wing and artillery regiment and besides ITBP to have a Water Wing All these specialized wings support the General Duty Battalions in their operations The Financial Adviser of the BSF has been an Indian Revenue Service officer of the rank of Joint Secretary and also has Dy Advisers from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service Indian Civil Account Service and Indian Defence Account Service The BSF also has a national level school for the breeding and training of dogs Dogs from other CPOs and State Police are sent to National Training Centre for Dogs NTCD to be trained in infantry patrol detection of explosives tracking and the like 12 The BSF maintains a Tear Smoke Unit TSU which is unique in India The TSU is responsible for producing tear gas munitions required for the Anti Riot Forces It also exports a substantial quantity to other countries 13 14 Three battalions of the BSF located at Kolkata Guwahati and Patna are designated as the National Disaster Response Force NDRF Each battalion maintains 18 self contained specialist search and rescue teams of 45 personnel each including engineers technicians electricians dog squads and medics and paramedics The establishment of each battalion is 1 158 personnel The NDRF is a multi disciplinary multi skilled high tech force for all types of disasters and can deploy to disasters by air sea and land These battalions are equipped and trained for all natural disasters including combating Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear CBRN disasters Since 2014 As a part of modernisation BSF also started installing infra red thermal imagers aerostats for aerial surveillance ground sensors radars sonar systems to secure riverine borders fibre optic sensor and laser beam intrusion detection systems on specific sections of border with Pakistan as well as Bangladesh These Hi tech systems are installed in areas where barbed wire fencing could not be installed due to treacherous terrain or marshy riverine topography The largest section of this system is located at Dhubri Assam where Brahmaputra river enters Bangladesh 15 16 ORBAT Edit Western Command Chandigarh Gujarat Frontier Gandhinagar Barmer Sector Gandhinagar Sector Bhuj Sector Rajasthan Frontier Jodhpur Jaisalmer I Sector Jaisalmer II Sector Bikaner Sector Ganganagar Sector Punjab Frontier Jalandhar Ferozepur Sector Amritsar Sector Gurdaspur Sector Jammu Frontier Jammu Jammu Sector Sunderbani Sector Rajauri Sector I Nagar Sector Kashmir Frontier Humhama Srinagar Sector Baramulla Sector Bandipore Sector Kupwara Sector Eastern Command Kolkata South Bengal Frontier 17 Kolkata North Bengal Frontier Kadamtala Meghalaya Frontier SHQ Mawpat Shillong FHQ Umpling Shillong Tripura Frontier Agartala Mizoram amp Cachar Frontier Masimpur Aizawl Sector Cachar Sector CI Ops Manipur Assam Frontier Guwahati ANO Anti Naxal Operation Frontier BangaloreSpecial Detachments Edit Creek Crocodile Edit The Creek Crocodile is the specialized commando unit of BSF Primary objective of this unit is to act as Quick reaction force and prevent smuggling and infiltration by unwanted elements The unit is specifically deployed at Indus River Estuaries in Gujarat and Sir Creek It was raised in 2009 18 The base of operations of this unit is located at Koteshwar outpost of BSF 18 They are equipped with ATVs and fast patrol boats 19 Camel Contingent Edit Camel contingent during a parade BSF Camel Contingent is a specialized battalion size Camelry Unit which has its roots in Bikaner Camel Corps The primary purpose of this unit is to patrol the desert section of the border with Pakistan This unit has a strength of 1200 camels and 800 riders Both camels as well as riders are trained at Camel Training Centre located at BSF Frontier Headquarters in Jodhpur 20 However with force modernization pacing up BSF has equipped its formation across the western border with All Terrain Vehicles and other specialized apparatus List of DGs of BSF EditK F Rustamji IPS 21 was appointed as the first Director General of Border Security Force from 22 July 1965 to 30 September 1972 and the current Director General is Sujoy Lal Thaosen IPS since 1 January 2023 22 No Name Start End1 Khusro Faramurz Rustamji 22 Jul 1965 30 Sep 19722 Aswini Kumar 01 Oct 1972 31 Dec 19773 Sharawan Tandon 01 Jan 1978 30 Nov 19804 K Rama Murti 01 Dec 1980 31 Aug 19825 Birbal Nath 01 Sep 1982 30 Sep 19846 M C Misra 01 Oct 1984 31 Jul 19877 H P Bhatnagar 01 Aug 1987 31 Jul 19908 T Ananthachary 01 Aug 1990 31 May 19939 Prakash Singh 09 Jun 1993 31 Jan 199410 D K Arya 01 Feb 1994 03 Dec 199511 Arun Bhagat 04 Dec 1995 02 Oct 199612 A K Tandon 02 Oct 1996 04 Dec 199713 E N Rammohan 04 Dec 1997 30 Nov 200014 Gurbachan Singh Jagat 30 Nov 2000 30 Jun 200215 Ajay Raj Sharma 01 Jul 2002 31 Dec 200416 R S Mooshahary 31 Dec 2004 26 Feb 200617 A K Mitra 27 Feb 2006 30 Sep 200818 M L Kumawat 01 Oct 2008 31 Jul 200919 Raman Srivastava 01 Aug 2009 31 Oct 201120 U K Bansal 01 Nov 2011 30 Nov 201221 Subhash Joshi 19 December 2012 28 February 201422 D K Pathak 8 March 2014 29 February 201623 K K Sharma 1 March 2016 30 September 201824 Rajni Kant Mishra 1 October 2018 31 August 201925 V K Johri 1 September 2019 10 March 202026 Surjeet Singh Deswal 11 March 2020 17 August 202027 Rakesh Asthana 18 August 2020 28 July 202128 Surjeet Singh Deswal 28 July 2021 31 Aug 202129 Pankaj Kumar Singh 1 September 2021 31 December 202230 Sujoy Lal Thaosen 1 January 2023 IncumbentCounter Insurgency Operations EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message Although originally charged with guarding India s external boundaries the BSF in the 1990s was also given the task in counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations in Jammu andnd Kashmir Punjab and the Northeastern Seven Sister States While in Punjab BSF took part in operations like Blue Star Black Thunder 1 amp 2 However when the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir broke out in 1989 it moved towards the state and handed over the operations in Punjab to CRPF and local police In Jammu and Kashmir state police and the thinly deployed Central Reserve Police Force CRPF struggled to cope with the spiraling violence so it was deployed to combat these In Jammu and Kashmir BSF initially suffered casualties from terrorist attacks but later saw successes During the initial years terrorist activity had even reached Jammu and parts of Northern Punjab and Himachal Pradesh However it was only due successful operations by BSF that by the late 1990s their area of activity had restricted only to the valley BSF was also successful in setting up a robust HUMINT network BSF is also credited for killing Ghazi Baba chief of Jaish e Mohammed and the mastermind of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in August 2003 along with his deputy commander The BSF had raided Baba s hideout in Srinagar and he was killed in the ensuing gun battle along with his deputy chief However with changing tactical and operational conditions and expansion and modernization of State police the Government withdrew all 16 BSF battalions and redeployed them on the Indo Pakistani border and Bangladesh India border These troops were then replaced by fresh troops from the CRPF that had undergone specialised training in counter terrorism Some units of BSF are also deployed in Central India to combat Naxal violence Counter Maoist operations are diversified between BSF is deployed in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh where Naxal strength is comparatively thinner than that of other parts of Bastar region At present total 15 battalions of BSF are stationed in different parts of Kanker district to combat the Naxal menace After recent civilian killings in Kashmir the Home Ministry reinducted BSF for counter insurgency operations and law and order duties in valley The BSF units will be deployed in sensitive areas which lie in various districts of the Kashmir valley However A great work done By Commandant Jagmohan Singh Rawat SM KC in the Kashmir valley He has significantly played a crucial role in such kind of operations Proposal regarding guarding the Indo Myanmar border EditThe Cabinet Committee on Security CCS has been considering a proposal to entrust the border guarding duty along the Indo Myanmar border to the Border Security Force BSF Presently the 1 640 kilometres 1 020 mi Indo Myanmar border is being guarded by Assam Rifles The proposed move to guard the Indo Myanmar border follows a proposal from the BSF to take over the role by raising 45 new battalions one headquarters of additional director general four frontier headquarters to be headed by an IG rank official and 12 sector headquarters to be headed by DIG level officials However as of 1 March 2015 it was decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs to keep the authority of this border with Assam Rifles only Proposed ORBAT for Myanmar Border Northeast Command HQ Imphal Mizoram Frontier Manipur Frontier Nagaland Frontier Arunachal frontierRank structure EditOfficersRank group General flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet Border Security Forcevte Director General Special Director General Additional Director General Inspector General Deputy Inspector General Commandant Second In Command Deputy Commandant Assistant Commandant Police equivalent Director General Director General AdditionalDirector General Inspector General IG Deputy Inspector General DIG Senior Superintendent SSP Addittional Deputy Inspector General Addl DIG Assistant Inspector General AIGP Assistant Inspector General AIGP ACP ASP 2 years Service Assistant Superintendent of Police ACP ASPArmy equivalent LieutenantGeneral Level 17 LieutenantGeneral Level 16 LieutenantGeneral Level 15 Major general Brigadier Colonel Lieutenant Colonel Major Captain LieutenantEnlisted ranksRank group Junior commissioned officers Non commissioned officer Enlisted Border Security Forcevte No insigniaSubedar Major Inspector Sub inspector Assistant Sub inspector Head Constable Constable Awards EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The BSF personnel have been recipients of the following awards Military awards Edit Mahavir Chakra Kirti Chakra Vir Chakra Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Shaurya Chakra Sena Medal Vishisht Seva Medal Mentioned in DespatchesCivil awards Edit Padma Bhushan Padmashri Prime Minister s Medal for life saving Arjuna AwardsPolice medals Edit President s Police Medal for Gallantry Police Medal for Gallantry President s Police Medal for Distinguished Service Police Medal for Meritorious ServiceArjuna awardees Edit Comdt Retd Nripjit Singh Volleyball 1962 Dy Comdt Retd Udham Singh Hockey 1965 Dy Comdt Retd Praveen Kumar Athletic 1967 Inspr Retd Jagjit Singh Hockey 1967 Asst Comdt Retd Ajit Pal Singh Hockey 1970 Dy Comdt Retd Balwant Singh Volleyball 1972 Sec in Command Anil Kumar B Ball 1974 Dy Inspr Gen Retd Mohinder Singh Shooting 1983 Asst Comdt Mahabir Singh Wrestling 1985 Asst Comdt Subhash Verma Wrestling 1987 Inspr Rajesh Kumar Wrestling 1990 Inspr Sanjay Kumar Wrestling 1998Equipment EditAll the equipment including the uniforms weapons ammunition vehicles such as the bullet proof vehicles troop carriers logistics vehicles mine protected vehicles are manufactured indigenously at the Indian Ordnance Factories under control of the Ordnance Factories Board 23 Drone and anti drone equipment is an upcoming acquisition 24 25 Pistols and handguns Edit Glock 9mm Pistols Pistol Auto 9 mm 1A 9mm PistolSub machine guns and carbines Edit Beretta MX4 Storm submachine guns 68000 SMGs procured and replaced the SAF Carbine 1A Assault rifles Edit AKM 7 62x39mm assault rifle INSAS 5 56 mm 45 mm Assault Rifle Service rifle of the force Tavor X95 or the MTAR 21 version used as the standard issue carbine Trichy 7 62x39mm Assault RifleMachine guns Edit INSAS LMG FN MAG MMG NSV HMG Tripod Mounted Bren Gun Gun Machine 7 62x51mm OFB Made FN MAG medium machine gun Sniper rifles Edit Vidhwansak anti materiel rifle AMR or large calibre sniper rifle 26 Steyr SSG 69 FN FAL Completely phased out as the service rifle by the INSAS rifle but still used as a DMR Barret M82 12 7 Sniper RifleMulti role recoilless rifle Edit Carl Gustav recoilless rifle Carl Gustav 84 mm recoilless riflesGrenade launchers Edit AGS 30 Automatic Grenade Launcher Milkor MGL Multi Grenade Launcher 40mm UBGL Under Barrel Grenade LauncherArtillery Edit 27 51 mm Mortar 81 mm Mortar 120 mm Mortar Advance Air defence Avni Gun 105 mm Indian Field GunArmoured Edit Mahindra Rakshak military light utility vehicle OFD Mine Protected Vehicle Tata 407 Bullet Proof Vehicle Maruti Gypsy Armoured VariantAircraft Edit 28 Embraer 135 BJ 01 Mi 17 V5 Helicopter 08 Mi 17 1V Helicopter 06 ALH Dhruv Helicopter 06 HAL Cheetah 01MANPADS Edit SA 16 Gimlet SA 7 GrailWatercraft Edit Floating Border Out Post 03 See BSF Water Wing Criticism and controversy EditCanadian controversy Edit In 2010 some Canadian visa officials rejected the immigration application of a retired BSF soldier Fateh Singh Pandher terming BSF a notoriously violent paramilitary unit engaged in systematic attacks on civilians and responsible for torturing suspected criminals This accusation did not go down well with the Indian government The Indian External Affairs Ministry was asked by the Home minister to take up the issue with Canada 29 30 The Home ministry of India as well as the Indian public in general and several of India s political parties expressed outrage at this attack and called Canada s actions discriminatory and spurious and their charges against the BSF as baseless and unproven The Indian government threatened diplomatic retaliation unless Canada withdrew their allegations The Canadian government did not respond immediately 31 It was speculated that diplomatic retaliation from India will consist of banning Canadians going to participate the War in Afghanistan if they are doing so through India Public outrage in India prompted Canadian authorities to express great respect for India s armed forces and related institutions 32 Subsequently India s Ministry of External Affairs summoned Canadian High Commissioner Joseph Caron and demanded that the blatant discrimination against Indian security agencies cease 33 India s Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna condemned Canada s actions and has expressed pride in the accomplishments of the BSF 34 Following complaints made by the Indian government and criticism of Canada s actions against India the Harper government retracted their earlier accusations against BSF security officials Canada s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney termed as unfortunate the incidents involving use of foul language by the Canadian High Commission in visa rejection letters to some individuals Kenney said This language or the inaccurate impression it has created in no way reflects the policy or position of the Government of Canada 35 Bangladesh border killings Edit According to the Bangladeshi government 136 civilians were killed and a further 170 others suffered injuries in 2009 The Indian government has said that 67 were killed and 80 injured in 2009 36 The Bangladesh government and Bangladeshi organizations protested heavily against these alleged killings Media reports claim that in August 2008 Indian BSF officials admitted that they killed 59 persons 34 Bangladeshis 21 Indians rest unidentified who were trying to cross the border illegally during the prior six months 37 Indian media claimed that in 2001 Bangladesh Rifles ambushed and killed 16 BSF soldiers while they were chasing some Bangladeshi smugglers back into the Bangladesh Since then the BSF has been compelled to act tough against Bangladeshi illegals 38 There was perceived retaliation by the BSF but was averted after Home Ministers of both countries had talks on the issue In July 2009 Channel 4 News reported that apparently hundreds of Bangladeshis and Indians are indiscriminately killed by the BSF along the Indo Bangladeshi Barrier The BSF claims that the barrier s main purpose is to check illegal immigration to India and prevent cross border terrorism from Islamists 39 Bangladeshi media accused the BSF of abducting 5 Bangladeshi children aged between 8 and 15 from the Haripur Upazila in Thakurgaon District of Bangladesh in 2010 The children were setting fishing nets near the border 40 In 2010 Human Rights Watch HRW issued an 81 page report which alleged over 900 of abuses by the BSF in the first decade of the 21st century The report was compiled from interviews with victims of BSF shootings witnesses and members of the BSF and its Bangladeshi counterpart According to HRW while most of them were killed when they crossed into Indian territory for indulging in cattle raiding or other smuggling activities 41 In February 2012 the BSF website was hacked by Bangladeshi hackers in retaliation The hackers later shared the news in the internet and also in the other social sites where they claimed to have defaced the sites asking the BSF to stop killing Bangladeshis at border The site became normal sometime on 15 February 2012 42 43 44 45 Challenges EditWorking conditions Edit Working conditions of the BSF have been questioned 46 Zero Error Syndrome adds stress 47 A home ministry standing committee report on the Working Conditions in Border Guarding Forces was published in December 2018 it was chaired by P Chidambaram 48 49 Health Edit Health of employees remains a challenge and given the numbers of the force more employees as compared to operational deaths die of diseases illness and mental health issues have also been raised and addressed by the force 50 51 52 In Media EditBSF has appeared in National Geographic channel s documentry BSF The first line of defence 53 54 See also EditAssam Rifles Border Security Force Water Wing Central Industrial Security Force Central Reserve Police Force Indo Tibetan Border Police Sashastra Seema BalReferences Edit DG BSF s Message on Occasion of Raising Day 2014 Archived from the original on 24 December 2014 Retrieved 10 December 2014 Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs Annual Report 2016 17 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 8 August 2017 Retrieved 12 August 2017 Rs 1 85 lakh crore allocation to MHA in budget The Economic Times Retrieved 1 February 2022 Pankaj Kumar Singh appointed new BSF DG Sanjay Arora to head ITBP The Financial Express Retrieved 5 February 2022 Government of India 2 September 1968 The Border Security Force Act 1968 No 47 of 1968 PDF in English and Hindi Ministry of Law Legislative Department pp 1 2 Archived from the original PDF on 17 October 2014 Retrieved 8 September 2014 a b Role of the BSF Border Security Force Ministry of Home Affairs India Archived from the original on 8 September 2014 Retrieved 8 September 2014 BSF Air Wing Border Security Force Archived from the original on 20 August 2014 Retrieved 8 September 2014 MHA Annual Report 2016 2017 PDF Archived from the original PDF on 8 August 2017 BSF is first Wall of Defence of India says Home Minister Rajnath Singh at 13th Investiture Ceremony Biharprabha News ANI 22 May 2015 Archived from the original on 22 May 2015 Retrieved 22 May 2015 a b Introduction Border Security Force bsf nic in Archived from the original on 5 February 2015 a b Page no 636 amp 637 of Chapter 20 India 2013 published by Publications Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Govt of India National Training Centre For Dogs where pooches get trained Dogs and Pups Magazine 13 September 2011 Retrieved 7 March 2022 Singh Rakesh K 3 October 2014 BSF s tear smoke unit on automation drive The Pioneer Retrieved 7 March 2022 BSF tear gas unit cries out for government attention Rediff Retrieved 7 March 2022 Union Home Minister launches Smart Fencing on International border an effective deterrence against illegal infiltration Press Information Bureau Government of India 5 March 2019 Retrieved 5 March 2019 Dozen laser walls activated along Indo Pak border Economic Times PTI 13 July 2018 Retrieved 13 July 2018 sb bsf gov in Archived from the original on 20 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 a b New force of BSF to man hostile creeks along Indo Pak border The Hindu PTI 27 November 2009 Retrieved 27 November 2009 Smart border management Indian coastal and maritime security PDF PricewaterhouseCoopers Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce amp Industry FICCI September 2017 Menon Aparna December 2015 Did you know The Border Security Force has a camel band Here s all about BSF and Its Camels The Better India Retrieved 1 December 2015 Border Security Force Photo Gallary Civic bsf nic in Archived from the original on 26 July 2016 DG BSF s Message 2020 Archived from the original on 22 July 2020 Indian Ordnance Factories OFB in Brief Archived from the original on 8 February 2015 Retrieved 11 November 2014 Chandra Girish 23 August 2020 BSF To Get 436 Drones amp New Anti Drone Systems DefenceXP Retrieved 7 March 2022 BSF To Procure Anti Drone Guns To Counter Pak Drones Pratidin Time 24 January 2022 Retrieved 7 March 2022 Anti material rifle handed over to BSF The Hindu Chennai India 15 February 2008 Archived from the original on 26 June 2010 Retrieved 13 October 2009 BSF Artillery turns 50 Aviation Defence Universe 2 October 2020 Retrieved 7 March 2022 Philip Snehesh Alex 19 March 2020 BSF Air Wing aims to soar higher with a mix of defence and civilian regulations ThePrint Retrieved 7 March 2022 Canada calls BSF a violent paramilitary unit Hindustan Times 21 May 2010 Archived from the original on 24 May 2010 Retrieved 21 May 2010 Kumar Vinay 22 May 2010 Terming BSF The Hindu Archived from the original on 8 October 2017 Canada Visa Application Times of India 28 May 2010 Archived from the original on 22 December 2016 Retrieved 29 May 2010 We have great respect for Indias armed forces Canada The Times of India 22 May 2010 Archived from the original on 3 November 2012 Retrieved 29 May 2010 Visa row India warns Canada of retaliation CNN IBN Archived from the original on 13 October 2012 Retrieved 29 May 2010 Visa Row India warns Canada Deccanherald com Archived from the original on 17 October 2012 Retrieved 21 March 2013 Canada regrets language used by its officials in visa letters The Hindu Business Line Archived from the original on 17 March 2014 Retrieved 29 May 2010 BSF killed 136 Bangladeshis since 2009 25 March 2011 Retrieved 11 November 2014 India says 59 killed over last six months on Bangladesh border Archived 26 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine Reuters 24 August 2008 Fortress India By Scott Carney Jason Miklian and Kristian Hoelscher Foreign Policy Archived from the original on 28 March 2013 Retrieved 21 March 2013 Channel 4 News 24 July 2009 Archived from the original on 28 December 2009 BSF abducts 5 children from border The Daily Star 24 July 2010 Archived from the original on 26 July 2010 Retrieved 24 July 2010 India Bangladesh Indiscriminate Killings Abuse by Border Officers Human Rights Watch 9 December 2010 Archived from the original on 23 January 2011 Retrieved 21 January 2011 Bangladesh group hacks BSF website to avenge border killings The Times of India 15 February 2012 Archived from the original on 10 May 2013 20 000 Indian websites come under attack from Bangladesh hackers Deccan Chronicle Archived from the original on 29 February 2012 Retrieved 15 March 2012 স ম ন ত ব এসএফ আগ র সন ব ল দ শ ন গর কদ র ন র ব চ র হত য ও গ ম Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 ব পর য ব এসএফ ২৪ ঘণ ট র ব যবধ ন চ প ই স ম ন ত আরও দ ই ব ল দ শ ক হত য আম র দ শ Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 Kumar Manan ed 15 April 2017 Need for better living conditions for BSF jawans DNA India Retrieved 6 March 2022 Job stress leading BSF men to sleep deprived nomadic life The Economic Times PTI 8 February 2015 Retrieved 6 March 2022 Working Conditions in Border Guarding Forces Standing Committee Report Summary PRS Legislative Research 31 December 2018 Retrieved 6 March 2022 Working Conditions in Border Guarding Forces Assam Rifles Sashastra Seema Bal Indo Tibetan Border Police and Border Security Force PDF Rajya Sabha Secretariat New Delhi December 2018 Archived from the original PDF on 3 March 2022 More BSF men dying of mental illness lifestyle diseases rather than operations Hindustan Times PTI 21 March 2017 Retrieved 6 March 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint others link Shreyas Ananth 16 May 2018 BSF makes mental well being tests and training mandatory for its personnel here s why The Financial Express Retrieved 6 March 2022 Kaur Kamaljit 22 March 2017 BSF meet addresses mental health well being issues of soldiers India Today Retrieved 6 March 2022 BSF India s First Line of Defence retrieved 19 February 2023 BSF Hotstar Retrieved 19 February 2023 External links EditThis section s use of external links may not follow Wikipedia s policies or guidelines Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references June 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Wikimedia Commons has media related to Border Security Force Official website Border Security Force India Defence Global Security CI Operations in Jammu and Kashmir Tear Smoke Unit Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Border Security Force amp oldid 1145345387, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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