New Delhi: Taking the lead from the comprehensive campaign across the Left wing extremism, which led to the eradication of Naxalism and its armed wings, Union Home Minister Amit Shah Friday urged the Border Security Force (BSF) to work with the same intensity against illegal infiltration.
“The time has come to stop the infiltration that has been going on for years without any restrictions. Many retired police officers told me not to undertake the Naxal-free campaign, and they said the same to the Prime Minister, too. But the Indian government remained steadfast, and the five-decade problem is now ending. India has become Naxal-free,” Shah said in his address.
“Now the BSF should proceed with the same determination to combat infiltration. The Prime Minister has launched the High Power Demography Mission, which will be announced in a few days. The High Power Demography Mission will also make identified points available to BSF and Border Security Force personnel,” he further said.
“The BSF has to thwart the conspiracy of attempts to cause demographic change, and I am telling you at peace and assured frame of mind that all three states of Tripura, Assam and West Bengal have governments that believe at their policy level that illegal infiltration should not take place,” he said.
“It’s BSF’s responsibility to ensure their work is not limited to border security. There should be a connection with the local patwari, the police station, the District Collector, the SP, and the DDO (District Development Officer). The BSF is responsible for identifying routes for illegal infiltration and cow smuggling and plugging them,” he asserted.
Shah was addressing top officials of the national security apparatus in the presence of key decision-makers, including the Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, Border Management Secretary Rajendra Kumar, and the heads of all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and Central Police, while delivering the Rustamji Memorial Lecture. The lecture is an annual event hosted by the Border Security Force (BSF) in New Delhi to honour its founding father and first director general, Padma Vibhushan K. F. Rustamji.
Shah urged the BSF top brass and its personnel to work in close coordination with state administrations and agencies to tackle the emerging challenges from narcotics and drones coming across the border.
“Your role has to be more integrated and comprehensive in the coming days. We can’t protect our border with traditional methods. We have to work in tandem with state police, other armed forces, NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau), intelligence agencies and state administration to enhance the security grid to tackle the emerging challenges coming our way,” he said.
“We have to see border security as a territorial responsibility instead of looking at it as an isolated task to deal with these challenges. We have to look ahead for the challenges coming our way from across the border. It’s our responsibility to be vigilant and up to the challenges, such as infiltration from across the border, causing artificial alteration to the demography, and an attack on the economy by narcotics and fake currency. We shall have to come out with a new strategy to tackle cybersecurity threats and drone warfare,” Shah added.
‘Era of talks behind us’
Shah further said the Modi government has changed the approach of the security apparatus in the country and has chosen the route of response and retaliation in the face of terrorist attacks. He said the government has left behind the erstwhile approach of talks with Maoists, who were continuing with their approach of killing and violence.
“We have made sweeping changes in our security policy and viewpoint on border security since Prime Minister Modi’s government came to power in 2014. We have responded to all three terror strikes carried out by Pakistan—in Uri, Pulwama and Pahalgam—once by a surgical strike, followed by air strikes and then by Operation Sindoor by attacking Pakistan’s sensitive places,” Shah said.
“We have left behind the era when talks followed terror attacks, Maoists carried out killings without any fear, and governments were engaged in talks. We have strengthened our security apparatus in the spirit of the Indian Constitution. These are a sort of declaration of a new defence doctrine, and I believe BSF has had a very big contribution to it,” the Union Home Minister said.
“The government has decided to ensure the BSF gets all technologies required to help the BSF make smart border arrangements across the 6,000 km international border. The BSF has conducted piecemeal experiments over many years, and we have conducted analyses to build a robust security grid. Steps are underway to ensure the availability of all technologies to form a smart border project. BSF’s work will be a lot easier but stronger after the launch of the new project,” he added.
“The MHA has made several plans for different components of the smart border project. I want to assure all BSF personnel that we shall launch the project within the 60th year of the inception and make the border with Pakistan and Bangladesh an impenetrable one.”
Tripura, West Bengal and Assam
He emphasised that the BSF’s role will be even more critical on the border with Bangladesh in the near future, but also offered an assurance. He said that the central force would be greatly helped by the governments in Tripura, West Bengal and Assam—all ruled by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which opposes infiltration as state policy.
Tripura and Assam were already under BJP rule, while the party stormed to power for the first time in West Bengal, defeating the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the recently held elections. He said the Ministry of Home Affairs is all set to chair a meeting with chief ministers of all three states to chart out a new strategy to tackle illegal infiltration into the country.
“Since I am here today at the BSF’s programme, I also want to talk about the issue of infiltration. The government of India has decided that the force will not only stop illegal infiltration but also identify illegal infiltrators one by one and send them out of the country, and will not allow artificial changes to our demography.
“The MHA is set to chair a meeting with the CMs of these three states, and we will come out with a comprehensive strategy against illegal infiltration, but BSF has to come out with a robust mechanism to check infiltration and identify and deport those who infiltrate illegally.”
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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