BSF Celebrates Raising Day With Grand Show, Displayed Best Guns
By V K Gaur
New Delhi, Dec 02, 2018: The Border Security Force (BSF) on December 1, celebrated 54th raising day. The Force organised a grand show at its Chhawla Camp where Mr. Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs was the chief guest. On this occasion, best Guns of BSF were also displayed.
BSF was raised in the wake of Pak armed invasion of the Rann of Kutch early in 1965. India’s international borders were then guarded by the respective border state Police forces who were neither adequately armed nor equipped nor trained to protect our borders against invasion.
The BSF was created with 25 battalions of state police forces from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, J&K, West Bengal, Assamand Tripura to guard Indo-Pakistan (east - now Bangladesh and west wings) international border. The border length is 6386 km.
The police and military leadership organised force expansion, rigorous training, operational planning and effective border guarding. The Force today has 192 battlions, 2.6 lakh personnel and over 1900 border outposts. The Force is called the “first wall of defence” by Shri Rajnath Singh Union Home Minister.
The BSF in 1971 had proved its mettle guarding the frontiers against Pakistan’s offensives for nine long months and formed part of the advancing columns of joint command forces that compelled Pakistan to surrender on 16 December 71.
The BSF executed numerous operational tasks besides border guarding. It proved to be impartial and effective force during law and order deployment, internal security duties and while dealing with natural calamities. For years it has been on Line of Actual Control in J&K, on IS duties in Manipur, Left Wing Extremism infested areas of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The force also performed IS duty and peace-keeping role with United Nations in several sensitive foreign lands in Europe, Africa, and other places.
The BSF is deployed on IB and LOC in J&K. The Pak Rangers intermittently try to infiltrate terrorists into India from IB. They open intense fire to divertattention of the Force, prevent movement of patrols and observation parties so that terrorist does not enter India.
Many times they bring in Pak army elements to bring down heavy fire from mortars and artillery on BSF posts and snipe at men on duty. When Flag meetings and protests failed to restore normalcy the BSF launched operations BHIM-I and BHIM-II in 2018 and played hell with devastating fire on their posts. Rangers learnt lesson and stopped their ulterior activities for the time being.
It is a secular force in real sense. All ranks recruited from all walks and from every nook and corner of India are trained, organised and deployed as a team while living and working together. During War they displayed exemplary courage, valor, and sense of sacrifice.
The Force won one Mahavir Chakra, 13 Vir Chakra, 4 Kirti Chakra, 13 Shaurya Chakra, several hundred President’s Police and Fire Service Medal for Gallantry, Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry and Police Medal for Gallantry during war,counter-insurgency, anti-terrorist and LWE operations. Many awards were given posthumously.” Duty unto Death” is their motto.