Former Border Security Force DG Prakash Singh called the Centre’s decision to empower the BSF to conduct searches, arrest suspects and make seizures up to an area of 50 km inside Indian territory from the International Border (IB) along India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders “necessary step” for the security of people.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, “The notification to increase BSF power to 50 km by MHA was a necessary step for the protection of people.”
He said that after seeing the performance of state police nowadays, it was crucial to empower the force to conduct searches, arrest suspects and make seizures up to an area of 50 km.
“The weakness of the state police of the border areas is being seen regarding different types of smuggling cases and other illegal incidents,” he added.
The former BSF DG further clarified that the influence or power of state police will not diminish, rather the BSF has come to their aid.
Earlier on Wednesday, MHA empowered the BSF to conduct searches, arrest suspects and make seizures up to an area of 50 km inside Indian territory from the International Border (IB) along India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders.
As per the fresh order, the BSF, which was only empowered to take action up to fifteen kilometres in the states of Punjab, West Bengal and Assam, has now been authorised to spread its jurisdiction up to 50 km without any hurdle or further permission either from central or state governments.
However, its jurisdiction has been cut short by 20 km in the five northeastern states -- Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya -- where it had jurisdiction up to 80 km. Similarly in Gujarat, the BSF’s jurisdiction has been curtailed from 80 to 50 km.
In Rajasthan, the BSF’s area of jurisdiction will remain the same at 50 km.