Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), Dec 1: On Friday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah honoured the members of the Border Security Force who gave their lives while performing their duties on the 59th Raising Day of the BSF in the Hazaribagh area of Jharkhand. Every year on December 1, the BSF, with a strength of almost 2.5 lakh people, celebrates Raising Day, making it the largest border guarding force globally. The BSF is the only force in the country with a clearly defined function in both peacetime and warfare, and it is mandated to guard the borders between India and Bangladesh as well as Pakistan. It has proven its worth by effectively completing every assignment given to it in both peace and conflict, all the while maintaining calm and peace along the border.India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh are guarded by BSF troops, who are stationed in the most difficult terrain and isolated areas. Up until 1965, the State Armed Police Battalion guarded India’s border with Pakistan. Pakistan launched an attack on Sardar Post, Chhar Bet, and Beria Bet in Kutch on April 9, 1965. The Government of India recognised the necessity for a specialised, centrally controlled Border Security Force that would be armed and trained to man the international border with Pakistan after this revealed the State Armed Police’s inability to handle armed aggression.The Committee of Secretaries’ recommendations led to the creation of the Border Security Force on December 1, 1965. The BSF was established in 1965 with 25 battalions, and as time went on, it was enlarged to meet the needs of the country in order to combat militancy in the Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir, and Punjab. Guarding the international border between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the moment are seven BSF artillery regiments and 192 BSF battalions (including three NDRF battalions).Furthermore, the BSF is involved in counter-insurgency efforts in the Northeast, anti-naxal operations in the states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, security of integrated checkpoints along the international borders between Bangladesh and Pakistan, and counter-infiltration efforts in the Kashmir Valley.
