Effective management of Border Security is essential for ensuring territorial integrity and the Sovereignty of the Nation. The changed security scenario around India and the intensification of external threats from Western and the Northern borders after Pokhran-II, call for a reappraisal of our arrangements to ensure security of our Borders. One can expect with reasonable certainty, increased infiltration of enemy agents by the ISI through the Kashmir, Punjab and Gujarat Borders. Our Border with Bangladesh is wide open and thousands of Bangladeshis illegally enter the country everyday. It is also possible for the ISI to send their operatives through Bangladesh. In the Northeast, militants cross the Borders at will to secure arms and munitions. Recently, there have been some instances of insurgent elements using Myanmar as a transit point to get arms and munitions. These call for tightening vigil on our Borders. It should be recalled that Punjab Militancy came down only after stringent measures, including border fencing, were taken to prevent infiltration of Pak trained militants. Kashmir situation would also improve, if we pay greater attention to make our border impregnable by Pro-Pak elements.

The responsibility for protecting our borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh is entrusted to the highly professional Border Security Force. Unfortunately, BSF has been saddled with the additional responsibility of dealing with militancy and internal security matters in J&K, Assam, Northeast and till recently in Punjab. The reasons are obvious. Among the Para Military Forces, BSF alone has the weaponry and expertise to take on well trained and well armed militant elements and foreign mercenaries. Since BSF has been basically structured and manned to look after the Borders only, it had no extra manpower to deal with internal security problems and militancy. Consequently, it withdrew the required personnel from the Borders. Since these tasks have become almost permanent in nature, the Borders remain continuously under-manned. According to knowledgeable sources, BSF has withdrawn nearly half its strength from the Bangladesh and Gujarat borders for deployment in J&K. Further, extensive deployment of BSF on internal security duties have also thinned down personnel on the borders. It should be remembered that Army can not take over border patrolling without affecting its preparedness to meet external threats. Thinning of border policing on Bangladesh border has resulted in our having today in the Country over a million illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

In the changed security scenario, this unsatisfactory affairs cannot be allowed to remain. To strengthen the security of our borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, it is imperative that the strength of BSF on the borders should always be kept at the required operational level and under no circumstances it should be depleted.

To deal with insurgency and terrorism, which occur generally in areas adjacent to our Borders, it is necessary to create a specialist counter- insurgency and anti-terrorist wing in the BSF. Personnel of this wing should be trained in Jungle and guerrilla warfare and should be equipped appropriately. Such an arrangement would enable the BSF to deal with these problems in a coordinated manner along with the force already deployed on the Border and would also make BSF responsible to deal with terrorism and insurgency in border areas.

There is an erroneous impression that with the creation of the Coast Guard, our coastal areas have been taken good care of. Landing of large quantities of RDX on the Gujarat and Maharashtra Coasts in the past have exposed our weaknesses in coastal security. Due to many operational reasons, Coast Guard cannot operate in Swamps, Marshes and close to the land. Water Wing of the BSF has been created only for this purpose and it is doing good work in Bangladesh and Gujarat sectors. This wing requires to be further strengthened and expanded and provided with the required Speed boats and other equipment to take care of security of our long coastline. Entire coastline of Peninsular India also needs close attention .

Security of the Indo-Tibetan border

The Indo-Tibetan Border has become once again sensitive. Indo-Tibetan Border Police, which has the responsibility of looking after this Border is a highly specialised high altitude Force, and presently is being misused for miscellaneous internal security tasks like VIP Security and Bank Security. It is time, that the ITBP is again made responsible for securing the Indo-China border in the Tibetan Sector and divested of miscellaneous tasks. This would mean bringing the entire Northeastern sector of the border also under the ITBP. This is essential from operational point and has been long overdue. Increase in the areas of responsibilities of ITBP would call for provision of additional manpower and equipment. The specialised character of ITBP as the only high altitude Para Military Force should be preserved and made full use of.

Though no security threat was expected in the past from this sector, the possibility of militants using these areas to smuggle in arms and ammunition into India have come to notice. Management of this Border should be entrusted to one organisation, preferably the Assam Rifles, as this Force has been operating in this area for over hundred years.

Create a Department of Border Security

Management of Border Security by the Ministry of Home Affairs has been unsatisfactory and there is need for better coordination and control and clear delineation of responsibilities. To ensure, better coordination among the Border Security Organisations - BSF, ITBP, ASSAM RIFLES - and with the Intelligence organisations; to prevent duplication of efforts; standardisation of training and equipment, operational procedures etc., there is need to create an independent Department of Border Security in the Cabinet Secretariat . This Department should function under a competent Security Professional and should have full functional autonomy. It should be tasked to formulate long term strategic plans for organising, structuring and equipping Border Security Organisations on the lines of Army Infantry Battalions, taking into consideration our overall strategic National Security requirements.

Border security is the first line of our defence. We can ignore this only at our peril. The suggestions made here only call for restructuring and reorganising the existing organisations by providing them with clear cut responsibilities. Will Government of India act before it becomes too late?

(The author is a former Director General of CRPF and NSG)