The Border Security Force (BSF), as its name suggests, is one of India’s four border patrol forces and one of seven Central Police Forces (CPFs) under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The world’s largest border guarding force, BSF is tasked with protecting the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders. Although border protection is the primary function of BSF, India’s growing internal security threats have mandated it with other duties, such as counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, disaster management, and domestic peacekeeping. BSF also acts as the representative of the Indian government in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions. While BSF has undoubtedly done much to keep India’s borders safe and maintain internal security, it has come under withering criticism for its tactics, its disregard for human rights, corruption, and involvement in criminal activities.

BSF was created on December 1, 1965, as a specialized force with the sole responsibility of guarding India’s borders. The 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, initiated by Pakistani attacks on Indian border outposts, revealed significant structural problems with India’s border protection strategy. Prior to the creation of the BSF, the Indo-Pak border was guarded by state police forces from 1947 to 1965. The police forces functioned independent of the federal government and maintained little or no communication with other states. These state forces were generally untrained for their duties, lacked sufficient strength and equipment, and had little or no coordination with the Army or any central police force. They also lacked a strong intelligence infrastructure.

On April 9, 1965, the 51st Infantry Brigade of the Pakistan Army crossed into the Rann of Kutch, guarded by the State Reserve Police Force of Gujarat, and attacked and captured Sardar Post, Chhar Bet, and Beria Bet border outposts in Kutch, Gujarat. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Indian Army troops had to be moved into the area to aid the Gujarati police. Repeated incursions by the Pakistani Army prior to April and the continuance of such attacks until June necessitated rethinking border security.

The Emergency Committee of the Cabinet, under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, met on April 20, 1965, to discuss police in border protection role. On May 17, a meeting between the Union Home Minister, the Union Defense Secretary, and the Chief of Army Staff put forth a blueprint for what would later become BSF. One of the most important proposals was the need to combine all border patrolling police units into one under the control of the federal government. Suitable training, appropriate equipment, command structures, and appropriate roles were also discussed. On June 6-7, a meeting of State Home Ministers agreed to shift border protection duties to the central government. The central government appointed Indian Police Service (IPS) officer K.F. Rustamji to act as a representative on behalf of the paramilitary force to be formed. The government also instituted a Special Study Group to further explore effective border protection. The group identified problems associated with police protection of the borders in order to recommend specific measures for the new force. The recommendations of the group formed the organizational structure of BSF.

BSF was born by combining 25 border battalions of the states’ police forces. Five out of the 12 India Reserve Battalions were also added to this new force. BSF was initially formed under the CRPF Act. Parliament passed the Border Security Force Act, 1968, which contained BSF Rules. The specific task was the protection of the India-Pakistan border. BSF’s formation coincided with a cessation of hostilities with Pakistan. The force’s first real test came in 1971, when it served as the first line of defense against Pakistani invaders. 

Headed by a director general, BSF consists of 159 battalions with 220,000 personnel. Delegated duties are carried out by a variety of directorates – operations, intelligence, IT, training, administration, etc. The BSF is also one of the few forces in India to have maritime and aviation capabilities.

While BSF is supposed to be a border protection agency, its current duties go far beyond this role and extend into the domestic security and law and order arena. BSF’s current duties include:

Border Protection

BSF’s border protection duties are divided into two sectors. The western sector is the Indo-Pakistan border, a 2,290 km international border along the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, and a 237 km Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir (under the command of the Indian Army). The border has 609 border outposts (BOP). The Indo-Bangladesh border forms the eastern sector, a 4,096 km international border along the states of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura. This border boasts 802 BOPs. India’s border with Pakistan is particularly sensitive and is vulnerable to terrorist infiltration, Pakistani Army attacks, smuggling, intelligence gathering and other activities. The eastern sector is also vulnerable to a whole host of security problems including illegal immigration, infiltration and exfiltration by anti-India activists, criminal activities, and smuggling. Given the lengths of both borders, BSF confronts a wide variety of climates, from mountains standing 15,000 feet in J&K to forests and jungle areas in Assam. BSF also maintains border fencing and floodlighting along the two borders.

Counterterrorism/Counterinsurgency

BSF has been actively involved in mitigating the various terrorist and separatist threats India faced or faces. Its first brush with counterterrorism/counterinsurgency came in Punjab. From 1981 to 1992, Punjab was in chaos; Sikh nationalists, aided by Pakistan, initiated an armed campaign to establish a Sikh nation, Khalistan. In addition to guarding the Pakistani border to curb infiltration and exfiltration of Sikh militants, BSF was actively involved in fighting against the militants, training Punjab police forces, and facilitating the construction of extended border fences.

BSF has also been heavily involved in J&K since 1990. During the high point of militancy, from the early 1990s to well into the next decade, significant portions of BSF were deployed to J&K to quell the unrest. BSF personnel are still deployed in J&K, although in a more limited manner. It has also seen counterinsurgency action in India’s northeastern states where economic and political dissatisfaction and cultural differences has resulted in armed struggle and demand for autonomy and independence.

Recently, there have been calls to curb BSF’s involvement in counterinsurgency efforts as such work taxes its already limited manpower and resources, and adversely affects border security. However with CRPF (the police force most responsible for internal security) manpower and resources limitations and the time it requires to raise fully functional battalions, not much progress has been made in reverting BSF to a border-protection-only agency.

Domestic Security/Law and Order

As an armed police force under the Home Ministry, BSF’s role has expanded to maintenance of domestic security and law and order in areas far from the borders. BSF has been deployed in multiple cities during largescale outbreaks of communal violence, most recently in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Other law and order tasks include election and VIP security (especially election security in J&K) as well as riot and crowd control.

Disaster Management

BSF contains battalions trained in and tasked with disaster management. With this capability, BSF plays an important role in the disaster relief and management. In conjunction with disaster management forces of other CPFs, BSF is part of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) under the purview of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA).

Civil Affairs

As part of its counterinsurgency and public relations efforts, BSF is involved in civil affairs projects in communities it serves in. These projects include building local infrastructure, schools, and clinics, providing free medical checkups, vocational training, and other required help. Through central government funding, BSF manages a variety of schemes and programs such as need-based assistance, pollution control, sanitation assistance, health care, and educational assistance and infrastructure. As an example, BSF conducts Civic Action Camps, which provides patients with free treatments and medications. It also organized medical camps in villages where healthcare facilities are not available.

UN Peacekeeping Missions

As a member of the UN, India regularly sends its troops abroad to UN-sponsored peacekeeping missions. BSF battalions are regularly deployed as part of the Indian contingent. BSF has been involved in UN missions in Namibia, Cambodia, Mozambique, Angola, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Haiti.

While an accurate breakdown of BSF budget is not available, one can make a few educated guesses about budget priorities.

With a 159 battalions (a battalion has about 1000 soldiers), a major part of the budget goes toward the upkeep of the force—salaries, entitlements, and equipment for the soldiers. Prior BSF director generals have indicated a lack of proper housing facilities for its soldiers. The Home Ministry, in its 2011-2012 budget, allocated Rs. 2,690 crores ($520.2 million USD) toward the development of housing units for CPFs.

An additional 29 battalions were planned to be added to the total force over a period of five years, from 2009-2010 to 2013-14. Twenty new battalions were slated for creation from 2011-2012 to 2013-2014. It can therefore be inferred that a significant portion of the budget will be spent on raising these battalions – training, salaries, equipment, etc. Additionally, BSF also wants to take over the task of guarding the Indo-Myanmar border. If the Cabinet Committee on Security approves this measure, more battalions will be needed.

Compromised Human Rights on the Border

Perhaps the most controversial and criticized aspect of BSF is its abominable human rights record, especially along the Indo-Bangladesh border. BSF forces have been accused of indiscriminate killings, torture, rape, false imprisonment, and physical and verbal abuse. Almost 1,000 people have been killed by BSF along the Indo-Bangladesh border. BSF’s peacetime activities are governed by the loophole-laden Criminal Procedure Code of India, 1973. In instances where action is taken against BSF personnel, such personnel are tried in a military court known as the General Security Forces Court. Unlike civilian courts, the Security Court representation of victims is not allowed, and the procedure is carried out by members of BSF. Various human rights and legal organizations, including Human Rights Watch, the Asian Human Rights Commission, the Asian Legal Resources Center, and even India’s own National Human Rights Commission, have repeatedly criticized the brutality of BSF personnel. These actions are not limited to only the Indo-Bangladesh border. The Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA) has resulted in serious violations by BSF in J&K as well as the northeastern states.

India's Shoot-to-kill Policy on the Bangladesh Border (by Brad Adams, The Guardian)

A Culture of Impunity in J&K (by Dilnaz Boga, Daily News & Analysis)

Border Killings Must Stop (by Mobarak Ali, The Daily Star)

The Border Security Force - India's Killing Machine (by Uncredited, Asian Legal Resource Center)

Trigger Happy (by Meenakshi Ganguly and Henrik Alffram, Human Rights Watch)

Canada Accuses BSF of Human Rights Violations (by Correspondent, NDTV)

NHRC Serves Notice to Tripura Govt, BSF (The Shillong Times)

India: Human Rights a Utopia without Justice (Asian Human Rights Commission)

Trigger-happy Border Security Force, Alleges Human Rights Report (InfoChange)

BSF Involvement in Smuggling

An important component of BSF’s duties is to curb the smuggling of illicit drugs and other items to and from India. However, BSF itself has been involved in some smuggling deals. The biggest commodity smuggled into India is heroin from neighboring Pakistan. While the force has made great strides in catching crores of rupees worth of heroin, BSF personnel have been implicated for complicity in smuggling rackets. It is unclear just how deep the corruption goes within the organization. On the other hand, Pakistan has accused Indian smugglers working with BSF of smuggling heroin and liquor into Pakistan.

The Indo-Bangladesh border is also home to a high amount of smuggling activity. It is estimated that anywhere between $2-$3 billion worth of goods is smuggled through this border. Perhaps the greatest chunk of this is derived from the smuggling of cattle from India to Bangladesh. The border is also a hot spot for human trafficking, timber smuggling as well as illegal trade. BSF personnel are known to be complicit in all of these activities. It is also alleged that many of the BSF killings on the Indo-Bangladesh border are related to BSF’s involvement in illegal activities.

Blood on the Border (by Tusha Mittal, Tehelka)

BSF Jawan Held for Heroin Smuggling (by Vimal Bhatia, The Times of India)

BGB-BSF talks: Deaths at the Border Continue (by Serajul Islam, Center for Foreign Affairs Studies)

India Flooding Pak with Liquor, Heroin-chemicals (Zee News)

Bid to Smuggle Indian Liquor into Pakistan (The Nation)

BSF Involvement in Timber Smuggling Exposed (The Assam Tribune)

Calves Smuggling at Bangla Border; HC Rejects Plea of BSF Men (Zee News)

Corrupt Border Security Force Officers Connive with Cross Border Smugglers and Murder Innocent Farmer in Murshidabad District, West Bengal (Urgent Appeals Program, Asian Human Rights Commission)

BSF Jawan Held for Helping Smugglers (Times of India)

Go East, Old Man (The Economist)

Challenges in Policing Enclaves

In addition to illegal activities and human rights abuses, the Indo-Bangladesh border is host to the enclaves’ issue. The partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 gave the village of Coochbehar to India and Rangpur to Bangladesh. However, the people in these villages refused to renounce old identities and accept new ones. As a result, there are now 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside India. Governance of these enclaves is dependent on the other country, and host countries rarely take any measures to assist people living in these enclaves. Furthermore, the enclaves are off-limits to host country security forces. As such, BSF personnel cannot enter Bangladeshi enclaves. This situation has resulted in enclaves becoming safe havens for criminals and terrorists and creating security concerns. Moreover, the enclaves are being used to cultivate poppy and other drugs. A 1974 treaty intended to resolve this issue has failed to do its part. In the meantime, desire to keep unwanted elements out of the enclaves has prompted BSF to become more stringent in its checks.

Enclaves along Indo-Bangla Border Safe Havens for Criminals (by Arjun Chatterjee and Probir Biswar, India Today)

Indian Enclaves in Bangladesh Demand Connecting Corridors (by Raktima Bose, The Hindu)

Two Nations, New Citizens (by Madhuparna Das, Indian Express)

The End of the Enclaves (by Dohala Khagrabari, The Economist)

A Great Divide (by Jyoti Thottam, TIME Magazine)

Consolidation of CPFs

The expansion of its duties into domestic security and law and order, far from its mandate, is not limited to BSF alone. This is an oft-repeated process with almost all of India’s central-government-controlled police forces. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITPB), which is supposed to guard the Indo-China border, is now usable by the Home Ministry for counterinsurgency and internal security duties. Such drastic deviations from initial mandates and the duplicity of forces performing the same mission (India has four border guarding forces for its six borders) have resulted in calls for restructuring CPFs. It’s been proposed that India combine its central police and paramilitary forces into one single force under the same chain of command. Another proposal suggests dividing up the forces and rebuilding them on their core duties: internal security (including counterinsurgency), border security, and infrastructure security. The point is clear: centralization and simplification would allow for better management.

Consolidation of Paramilitary Forces Makes Sense (by Bibhu Prasad Routray, Sunday Standard)

Time to Merge Troops under Home Ministry (by Nitin Pai, Daily News & Analysis)

BSF for the Indo-Myanmar Border

India’s 1640-kilometer border with Myanmar is currently being guarded by the Assam Rifles (AR). A proposal was put forth in mid-2010 to the Union Cabinet to replace AR with BSF for border protection duties. The Home Ministry, which exercises administrative control over AR, supports the move, whereas the Army, which exercises operational control over AR, opposes it. The Cabinet Committee on Security is currently considering the matter.

Proposal to Deploy BSF along India-Myanmar Border (by PTI, Zee News)

AR Should be Replaced by BSF

The Home Ministry contends that given AR’s limited resources and the location of its posts, the task of guarding the border should be taken over by BSF. Most of AR’s posts are located well inside Indian territory, and it has very few posts right at the border. This inability to fully protect the border results in the infiltration of militants, most of whom have established camps in Myanmar. The porous border also facilitates smuggling of arms, drugs, and other items. Home Affairs contends that the dual tasks of border protection and counterinsurgency overburdens AR, making it less effective.

BSF Keen on Guarding Indo-Myanmar Border: DG (Moneycontrol.com)

AR Should Not be Replaced BSF

The Indian Army (under the Ministry of Defense) maintains that replacing AR with BSF would result in the loss of terrain and local knowledge, a gap that BSF will not be able to bridge quickly. Ninety percent of AR officers are from the Army, and 30% of regular troops are recruited from the region. The ministry contends that this combination of personnel grants AR a unique advantage that makes it much better suited than BSF to guard the Indo-Myanmar border.

Indo-Myanmar Border to have Helipads; Rs 8640 cr Budget Soon (by PTI, Economic Times)

UK Bansal

UK Bansal began served as the director general of BSF from November 2011 to November 2012.

Born on November 8, 1952, Bansal is a batch 1974 Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer.

In his 38 years of IPS service, Bansal has served as the Special Director General (West) and Assistant Director General (East) in BSF, Regional Inspector General of Police in three zones of Uttar Pradesh, Inspector General of Police for Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and also as the Additional Director General of Economic Offence Investigations.

Prior to joining BSF, he was the former Special Secretary for Internal Security, Ministry of Home Affairs.

In February 2012, Bansal was criticized by the Bangladeshi human rights group Ain-o-Salish Kendra for saying: “It would never be possible to totally stop firing - so long criminal activities would continue to take place at the India-Bangladesh border.” The remark also drew the consternation of the Bangladesh government.