Even as a political row rages over the extension of the Border Security Force’s jurisdiction in Punjab, a joint operation conducted by the BSF and Punjab Police on Thursday led to the seizure of heroin worth Rs 7 crore. The operation was conducted a few metres from the border.
Sources in the BSF told News18 that the joint search operation with the Narcotics Control Cell of the Punjab Police was conducted at 4:20pm near the border security fence in the Tapu outpost area of Punjab’s Ferozepur district. “During the operation, the team recovered four packets of contraband items suspected to be heroin, weighing approximately 6.6 kg, and sugar weighing 1.13 kg,” a senior BSF official said.
Sources added that this is the second such seizure since January this year. “Total progressive seizure of suspected heroin in area of Ferozepur is 94.786 kg,” the official said.
The Union government had recently amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of the existing 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.
The decision has been opposed by the Congress government in Punjab, while the Trinamool Congress which rules West Bengal hit out at the Centre, saying it was an “infringement” on the rights of the state and an attack on the federal structure of the country.
“I strongly condemn the GoI’s unilateral decision to give additional powers to BSF within 50 KM belt running along the international borders, which is a direct attack on the federalism. I urge the Union Home Minister @AmitShah to immediately rollback this irrational decision,” Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi tweeted.
However, Channi’s predecessor Amarinder Singh, who has announced he will soon leave the Congress, came out in support of the move.
The BJP’s former ally in Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal, too, has opposed the amendment. On Thursday, SAD president Sukhbir Badal was detained by Chandigarh police during a protest outside Raj Bhavan over the extension of the BSF’s jurisdiction. Badal alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi had “meekly surrendered” to the Centre’s move. The central government’s order is likely to be a heated election issue when Punjab votes early next year.
The Union home ministry had issued the notification extending BSF’s jurisdiction on October 11, amending a July 2014 enabling provision for the BSF personnel and officers while they operate in the border areas.
In Punjab, West Bengal and Assam, the BSF can operate within a larger 50 km stretch as opposed to 15 km earlier. In Gujarat, that shares border with Pakistan, the limit has been reduced from 80 km to 50 km, while in Rajasthan the limit has been kept unchanged at 50 km. Rajasthan and Punjab also share fronts with Pakistan while Assam has an international border with Bangladesh.
The about 2.65-lakh personnel paramilitary force guards over 6,300 of Indian fronts with Pakistan and Bangladesh. BSF officials said the amendment will help them in effectively curbing trans-border crimes and the new amendment brings in “uniformity” for its operations in the borders states of Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Assam where it can now operate within 50 km area from the border.
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