The
Border Security Force (
BSF) is a border patrol
agencyA government agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of types of agency...
of the
Government of IndiaThe Government of India, also known as the Union Government or the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of a union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. Established on December 1, 1965, it is a component of the paramilitary forces of India (PMF) and its primary role is to guard
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
's international borders during peacetime and also prevent
transnational crimeTransnational crime refers to crime that takes place across national borders. The term is commonly used in the law enforcement and academic communities....
. Like most paramilitary units of India, the BSF is under the administrative control of the
Ministry of Home AffairsMinistry of Home Affairs is an Indian government ministry. It is an interior ministry responsible for domestic policy....
. It is one of the many
law enforcement agencies of IndiaLaw enforcement in India is conducted by numerous law enforcement agencies. At the union level, the agencies are part of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, and support the states in their duties. Since the federal nature of the Constitution of India mandates law and order as a subject of the...
.
With a strength of 215,000 men in 157
battalionA battalion is a military unit of around 1000-1500 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel...
s, including women battalions, it is one of the world's largest border patrol forces.
The
Border Security Force (
BSF) is a border patrol
agencyA government agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of types of agency...
of the
Government of IndiaThe Government of India, also known as the Union Government or the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of a union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. Established on December 1, 1965, it is a component of the paramilitary forces of India (PMF) and its primary role is to guard
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
's international borders during peacetime and also prevent
transnational crimeTransnational crime refers to crime that takes place across national borders. The term is commonly used in the law enforcement and academic communities....
. Like most paramilitary units of India, the BSF is under the administrative control of the
Ministry of Home AffairsMinistry of Home Affairs is an Indian government ministry. It is an interior ministry responsible for domestic policy....
. It is one of the many
law enforcement agencies of IndiaLaw enforcement in India is conducted by numerous law enforcement agencies. At the union level, the agencies are part of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, and support the states in their duties. Since the federal nature of the Constitution of India mandates law and order as a subject of the...
.
With a strength of 215,000 men in 157
battalionA battalion is a military unit of around 1000-1500 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel...
s, including women battalions, it is one of the world's largest border patrol forces. The current Director General of the BSF is Raman Srivastava.
History
The Republic of India is a
federal stateFederalism is political philosophy in which a group of members are bound together with a governing representative head. The term federalism is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent...
in which
political powerPolitical power is a type of power held by a group in a society which allows administration of some or all of public resources, including labour, and wealth. There are many ways to obtain possession of such power. At the nation-state level political legitimacy for political power is held by the...
is shared between the federal government (referred to as the
Union Government or
Central Government) and the
states and territories of IndiaIndia is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.- States and territories :...
,
From
independenceThe term Indian independence movement incorporates various national and regional campaigns, agitations and efforts of both nonviolent and militant philosophy. The term encompasses a wide spectrum of political organizations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending the British...
in 1947 to 1965, India's international boundaries were guarded by the local armed police battalions of every border state, with little interstate coordination.
The
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between India and Pakistan. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
demonstrated the inadequacies of the existing border management system and led to the formation of the Border Security Force as a unified central agency with the specific mandate of guarding India's international boundaries. The BSF's paramilitary capabilities were used in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian and Bangladeshi sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's 3 December 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
against
Pakistani forcesThe Pakistan Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of Pakistan. Pakistan Armed Forces ranked 6th in the world.The Pakistani military was first formed when the nation achieved independence from the British Empire during the Partition of British India in 1947.Its component branches...
in areas where the
Indian Armed ForcesThe Indian Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Republic of India encompassing the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy, and various other inter-service institutions.With an estimated total active force of 1,414,000 personnel, India maintains the world's third largest...
was thinly spread; BSF troops took part in the
Battle of LongewalaThe Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagements in the Western Sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longewala, in the Thar Desert of the Rajasthan state in India.The Indian...
.
Although originally charged with guarding India's external boundaries, the BSF has more recently been given the task of aiding the
Indian ArmyThe Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to ensure the national security and defense of the Republic of India from external aggression and threats, and maintaining peace and security within its borders...
in
counter-insurgencyCounter-insurgency is a military term for the armed conflict against an insurgency by forces aligned with the recognised government of the territory in which the conflict takes place...
and
counter-terrorismCounter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed....
operations. When the insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir broke out in 1989, the
Jammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the Pakistani...
state police and the thinly-deployed
Central Reserve Police ForceThe Central Reserve Police Force is a paramilitary security agency/Force functioning under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and contain insurgency. It...
(CRPF) struggled to cope with the spiraling violence, and the Indian government deployed the BSF to
Jammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the Pakistani...
to combat Islamic militants.
The BSF suffering casualties from insurgent attacks but later saw successes, including the arrest of militant leaders, after setting up an
intelligenceIntelligence is an umbrella term used to describe a property of the mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn. There are several ways to define intelligence...
network and working with local
civilianA civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces. The term is also often used colloquially to refer to people who are not members of a particular profession or occupation, especially by law enforcement agencies, which often use...
s. The BSF killed Ghazi Baba—second-in-command of
Jaish-e-MohammedJaish-e-Mohammed is a major Islamic mujahedeen organization in South Asia. Jaish-e-Mohammed was formed in 2000 and is based in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan...
and the mastermind of the
2001 Indian Parliament attackThe 2001 Indian Parliament attack was a high-profile attack by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists against the building housing the Parliament of India in New Delhi...
—in August 2003. The BSF raided Baba's hideout in
SrinagarSrinagar , is the capital of the northernmost state of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir that is situated in India-administered Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. The city is famous for its lakes and houseboats...
and he was killed in the ensuing gunbattle.
Currently BSF has 157 battalions.
Despite the BSF's success in a counter-terrorism role, many in the government felt that this additional burden was leading to a dilution of the BSF's mandate and degrading the force's ability to perform its primary role of guarding the country's borders. The Indian government has now decided to implement recommendations to restrict each security agency to its mandate. Thus the 16 BSF battalions in
Jammu and KashmirJammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the Pakistani...
are gradually being withdrawn from counter-insurgency duties and sent back to guard the borders. They are being replaced by fresh units from the Central Reserve Police Force that have undergone specialized training in
counter-terrorismCounter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed....
. In the first of its kind BSF has deployed its first batch of women personnel, at the border long considered a male bastion, to carry out regular frisking of women as well as other duties performed by their male counterparts, including guarding the border. Over 100 of them have been deployed on the highly volatile Indo-Pak border, while around 60 will be deployed on the Indo-Bangla border. The first batch of 178 constables have already completed successful training and are all set to serve the frontier. In total, 595 women constables will be deployed on the border in different phases.
The current Director General is Mr.Raman Srivastava who took charge in June 2009, an officer of the Indian Police Service, from the state of Kerala.
Pistols And Handguns
- Enfield revolver
Enfield Revolver is the name applied to two totally separate models of self-extracting British handgun designed and manufactured at the government-owned Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield; initially the .476 calibre Revolver Enfield Mk I/Mk II revolvers , and later the .38/200 calibre Enfield No...
- a new silenced pistol, replacing the Enfield revolver
- FN Browning GP35
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and later improved by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium...
9mmx19 mm
Sub-machine guns and carbines
- Heckler & Koch MP5A3 9mmx19 mm SMG
- Heckler & Koch MP5K 9mmx19 mm SMG
- SAF Carbine 1A
The Sterling submachine gun is a British submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1953 until 1988 when it was phased out with the introduction of the L85A1.-History:...
9mmx19 mm, Indian made Sterling L2A1 SMG.This is currently being retired.
- SAF Carbine 2A1
The Sterling submachine gun is a British submachine gun which was in service with the British Army from 1953 until 1988 when it was phased out with the introduction of the L85A1.-History:...
9mmx19 mm, Silenced Carbine.This is currently being retired.
Assault rifles
- AK-7, clone of the AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective fire, gas operated 7.62mm assault rifle developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the 1940s. Six decades later, the AK-47 and its variants and derivatives remain in service throughout the world...
- INSAS 5.56mmx45 mm Assault Rifle
Sniper rifles
- Vidhwansak
Vidhwansak is an Indian multi-caliber anti-materiel rifle or large-caliber sniper rifle manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Tiruchirapalli. It can be used in the anti-materiel role for destroying enemy bunkers, lightly armoured vehicles, radar systems, communication equipment, parked aircraft, fuel...
anti-materiel rifle (AMR) or large-caliber sniper rifle
- Steyr SSG 69
The SSG 69 is a bolt-action sniper rifle produced by Steyr Mannlicher and serves as the standard sniper rifle for the Austrian Army....
Machine guns
- MG 1B
The Bren , usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991...
7.62mmx51 mm, Indian made Bren- This is currently being retired.
- 5.56mm INSAS LMG
Rocket-propelled grenade
- RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket propelled grenade weapon. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
40mm Rocket Launcher
Multi-role recoilless rifle
- Carl Gustav
The Carl Gustaf is the common name for the 84 mm man-portable multi-role recoilless rifle produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics in Sweden...
84 mm recoilless rifles
Air defence
MANPADS
- SA-16 Gimlet- In Service
- SA-7 Grail- In Service, to be phased out
Aircraft
- This is a list of aircraft of the Border Security Force. For the list of aircraft of the Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the armed forces of India. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
, see List of aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
The Border Security Force operates
helicopterA helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter achieves lift with the...
s, plus additional
Utility aircraftA utility aircraft is a general-purpose light plane or helicopter, usually used for transporting people or freight, but also for other duties when a more specialised aircraft is not required or available....
s.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Image
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
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HAL DhruvThe HAL Dhruv is a multi-role helicopter developed and manufactured by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited . It is being supplied to the Indian Armed Forces, and a civilian variant is also available. The helicopter was first exported to Nepal and Israel, and is on order by several other...
|| || utility helicopter ||
HAL DhruvThe HAL Dhruv is a multi-role helicopter developed and manufactured by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited . It is being supplied to the Indian Armed Forces, and a civilian variant is also available. The helicopter was first exported to Nepal and Israel, and is on order by several other...
|| 0 || 8 Ordered.
|-----
| ||
MI-17MI-17 can refer to:* Mil Mi-17, Soviet helicopter*M-17...
|| || utility helicopter || Mi-17KF || 6 ||
|-----
| || Embraer EMB 135 || || VIP transport || || 2 || 3 more planes ordered
|-----
| ||
DRDO NishantThe DRDO Nishant is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed by India's ADE a branch of DRDO for the Indian Armed Forces. The Nishant UAV is primarily tasked with intelligence gathering over enemy territory and also for recce, surveillance, target designation, artillery fire correction, damage...
|| || reconnaissance UAV || || 2+ || an order for 12 Nishant UAVs along with ground support systems. Deliveries underway.
|}
Hovercraft and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)
All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) to keep vigil on the Pakistani activities in the Harami Nala creek,BSF will deploy ATVs for vigil along Harami Nala by year-end.
BSF to get two hovercraft for coastal surveillance.
Criticism
BSF has often been accused by
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
government of incursions into Bangladesh territory, and indiscriminate shooting of civilians along the India-Bangladesh borders. This was in retaliation to massive
illegal immigrationIllegal immigration is immigration across national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country. Illegal immigrants are also known as illegal aliens to differentiate them from legal aliens...
from Bangladesh into India, for which the
Indo-Bangladeshi BarrierThe Indo-Bangladeshi barrier or Indo-Bangladeshi border fencing is a 4,000-kilometer fence that India is presently constructing to seal off the Indian-Bangladeshi international border to prevent smuggling of weapons and narcotics and to prevent Pakistani military intelligence from using Bangladesh...
is presently underway In a news conference in August 2008, Indian BSF officials admitted that they killed 59 illegals(34 Bangladeshis, 21 Indians, rest unidentified) who were trying to cross the border during the prior six months..
In July 2009
Channel 4 NewsChannel 4 News is the news division of British TV broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-News programmes:As of 2008, Channel 4 News has three programmes:...
reported that hundreds of Bangladeshis and Indians are indiscriminately killed by the BSF along the
Indo-Bangladeshi BarrierThe Indo-Bangladeshi barrier or Indo-Bangladeshi border fencing is a 4,000-kilometer fence that India is presently constructing to seal off the Indian-Bangladeshi international border to prevent smuggling of weapons and narcotics and to prevent Pakistani military intelligence from using Bangladesh...
. It was also reported that most victims were innocent farmers who unwittingly approached the heavily fortified fence. The BSF claims that the barrier's main purpose is to check illegal immigration, and prevent cross-border terrorism.
Kirity Roy, secretary of Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, a non-governmental human rights organisation based in Kolkata, also said that the border guard officials of Bangladesh and India should immediately find out a mechanism to stop such indiscriminate killing by the Indian Border Security Force.
According to statistics projected by 'Adhikar', a non-government human rights watchdog, some 62 Bangladeshi civilians were killed by the Indian BSF from January 1 to July 11 2009. In more than nine years between 1 January 2000 and 10 July 2009 a total of 789 people were reported killed, 846 injured and 895 abducted by the Indian BSF .
External links