Saturday, April 16, 2011

BSF men guard strong rooms in Tirunelveli


From The Hindu
April 16, 2011
Staff Reporter
Following an appeal from Jayalalithaa


SECURITY:A BSF man guarding the strong room at Government College of Engineering in Tirunelveli on Friday.
TIRUNELVELI: Following an appeal from AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa, 50 Border Security Force personnel have been roped in to provide security to the EVMs kept in the strong rooms at Government College of Engineering, Tirunelveli.

BSF man arrested for murdering colleague

From NDTV
April 16, 2011
New Delhi: A 29-year-old BSF man was arrested for allegedly murdering a colleague a year ago after being caught for having an illicit relationship with the victim's wife, police said on Saturday.

Dinesh Kumar, who hails from Bhiwani in Haryana and was at large for about a year, was apprehended from the Civil Lines area on Friday.
He was wanted by the Rajasthan Police in the murder case and was residing in Rohini to evade the arrest, S S Yadav, Additional Commissioner of Police (North), said.
Dinesh and the victim Bhiwani, both wrestlers, were serving in the BSF.

Four UGs held by BSF in joint Op


From e-paoSource: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 15 2011: Four cadres, two from the RPF/PLA and one from the UNLF and one woman from the KYKL, were arrested by Imphal West police commandos in a joint operation with BSF of B-Coy of 116th Bn on Wednesday, a statement of the Imphal West Senior SP said.

One of the two PLA cadres identified as self styled sergeant major Oinam Tiken @ Bungo @ Naphan (27) of Singjamei Oinam Thingel (army no 1312) was arrested by the combined team in an operation in the locality of the arrested cadre around 7.30 am on Wednesday.

Force girls: Women Guards of Border Security Force

From Live Mint 
April 15, 2011
At the Wagah border post, a group of 13 women constables of the Border Security Force are matching their male colleagues step for step

Cordelia Jenkins


Two hours before the start of the Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Wagah border in Punjab, constable B.K. Bhatti is applying pink lip gloss in front of her mirror.
A dress uniform is laid out on the bed—a blue, red and gold ceremonial belt, a scarlet sash and a black beret with a feathered plume. The women guards of the Border Security Force (BSF) don’t wear the distinctive fan-shaped headdresses that their male counterparts do, but in all other respects, their ceremonial garb is identical. At 5’9”, Bhatti is just tall enough to meet the height requirements for the ceremony; the guards who march to the Pakistan border gates have to look imposing.
Commander: B.K. Bhatti is among the first batch of women constables posted at the Wagah border, near Amritsar. Photographs by Javed Shah/Mint
Commander: B.K. Bhatti is among the first batch of women constables posted at the Wagah border, near Amritsar. Photographs by Javed Shah/Mint
Bhatti, 23, is one of the BSF’s new recruits. Since 2009, women guards have joined the male soldiers at posts across Punjab and West Bengal. The first lot of 870 womenhave since performed multiple roles: frisking female agricultural workers who need to cross the border to tend to their fields, patrolling the fence, guarding the barracks. But since July they have also started taking part in the spectacle that makes Wagah famous: the ceremonial sunset closing of the gates between India and Pakistan and the lowering of the two flags, a ceremony known as Beating the Retreat.
Besides attracting a huge number of spectators (the viewing stadium holds up to 5,000 people and is packed to overflowing most days), the details of the ceremony have often been a cause of contention between the Indian and Pakistani sides of the line. In an exhibition of machismo dating back to 1952, the BSF and Pakistan Rangers compete to march harder, kick higher and shout for longer than each other in a series of strictly prescribed steps.

Four-tier security ring for counting centres, EVMs: DGP


From IBN Live

PTI | 09:04 PM,Apr 15,2011
Chennai, Apr 15 (PTI) A four-tier protection is in place at the 91 counting centres across Tamil Nadu where the EVMs used in April 13 assembly elections have been kept in strong rooms.Central forces including BSF and RPF besides two divisions of state police will man the counting centres where barricades had also been placed as part of the security measures, state DGP Bholo Nath said."Each counting centre will be given four-tier security round the clock which are being overseen by a DSP. Personnel of BSF and RPF will man the entry and rear of the strong rooms where EVMs are kept," he said in a statement here.Further, personnel of Tamil Nadu Special Police and Armed Reserve are also part of the security mechanism which includes teargas vehicles."Outsiders will not be allowed entry into the centres which have been provided sufficient lighting," he said.Polling for 234 constituencies in the state was held on April 13 and counting of votes is scheduled for May 13. PTI 

Friday, April 15, 2011

Govt to rejig, synchronise economic intelligence agencies

From The Economic Times
14 APR, 2011,
NEW DELHI: As the country is witnessing a series of scams , the government has begun an ambitious exercise to rejig the snoop mechanism and synchronise the databases of economic intelligence and enforcement agencies. 

The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), the apex body which coordinates with all agencies that enforce economic laws in the country and gather intelligence on this front, is enhancing its database with the latest information of economic offenders and offences, official sources said. 

Pakistani national arrested along international border in Jammu

From New Kerala  Jammu, Apr 14 : A Pakistani national was arrested along Indo-Pak international border while he was entering the Indian territory in R S Pura Sector of Jammu region, official sources here today said.



"The BSF troops of 193 battalion last evening observed a suspicious movement near the fence in Jabbowal area and chased the suspect," official sources told UNI this morning.

They said the youth was apprehended on the spot and during investigations, he was ascertained as Ahmad Ali, resident of Lachhu Chak, tehsil Sialkot, Pakistan.

He was handed over to the police for further course of action, they said.
--UNI

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

From Pak Press:39 Pakistani prisoners freed

From The Nation
 April 12, 2011
AMRITSAR/WAGAH (Agencies) - India on Monday released 39 Pakistani prisoners, including two women, officials said, less than a week after Islamabad set free an Indian jailed in the country for 23 years.
The Pakistanis were escorted to a border transit post in the northern Indian city of Amritsar from where they left for home.
The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) handed over Pakistani prisoners to Pakistan Rangers at the Wagah joint check Post. 
Indian border guard officer Lakhbir Singh said the detainees were held in eight separate prisons on charges of either overstaying their visa or illegally crossing into India. Pakistan last week released a jailed Indian national who had been held for 23 years. The move was seen as another confidence-building measure as India and Pakistan look to get their stalled peace process back on track.

http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/12-Apr-2011/39-Pakistani-prisoners-freed?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online%2F24hours-news+%28The+Nation+%3A+Last+Twenty+Four+Hours+News%29
From ZeeNews
Agartala: Malaria poses a bigger threat than insurgents and smugglers to Border Security Force (BSF) men posted along India's northeastern border with Bangladesh, with many dying of the disease every year, say security officials.


"Our troopers are now battling malaria, with the disease turning out to be our biggest enemy in the mountainous border areas," a senior BSF officer posted at the Tripura frontier said. 

Malaria biggest enemy of Indian border guards in North-East

"Our troopers are now battling malaria, with the disease turning out to be our biggest enemy in the mountainous border areas," a senior BSF officer posted at the Tripura frontier said.

"On an average, five to six BSF personnel died of malaria every year on the Tripura border alone. No one was killed by insurgents during the past three years," the BSF officer told on condition of anonymity.

Comprising eight states, northeast India is a malaria prone zone, with the vector-borne disease claiming an estimated 500 civilian lives annually.

Four northeastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam - share a 1,880-km border with Bangladesh, which is guarded by BSF troopers.

Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram share a 1,640-km-long border with Myanmar manned by Assam Rifles.

Most parts of the borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar are mountainous, densely forested and unfenced.

According to the officer, more than 2,360 BSF troopers posted along the 856-km-long Tripura-Bangladesh border were hit by malaria last year. The number of such cases since 2008 was a staggering 11,580.

The scenario is almost same in the other northeastern states that border Bangladesh and Myanmar.

"It is mandatory for all those posted in the border areas to carry mosquito repellent creams, besides wearing face masks and gloves all the time," said a BSF commander at north Tripura's Khatlung post along the Bangladesh-Tripura-Mizoram border.

Among the most inaccessible and inhospitable terrains in the country, where even food supplies have to be air dropped, cerebral malaria is the disease BSF troopers fear the most. 


View through the barbed wire


From Saptarshi Banerjee, Hindustan Times

Balurghat (South Dinajpur), April 12, 2011
They indulged in mad celebrations after India won the World Cup on April 2. They danced and cheered and coloured their faces with the tri-colour, which was yet to be washed off when this correspondent visited the small village called Haripukur at Bangladesh border on April 3. The celebrations were still on.
Haripukur is a village in Hili, South Dinajpur district, and is a part of Balurghat assembly constituency. The village has around 250 voters, but because of its geographical location, it has been left outside the Indian barbed wire fence. “India could not put up the fence on the international line as there is a rule that no fence could be set up within 150 metres of the concrete international post,” said a BSF officer.

बीएसएफ मुख्यालय के पीछे शराब का अड्डा पकड़ा

भास्कर न्यूज से  12/04/11
उदयपुर आबकारी निरोधक दल ने सोमवार को कविता गांव में बीएसएफ मुख्यालय के पीछे खेत पर छापा मार कर अवैध रूप से चल रहे शराब अड्डे का भंडाफोड़ किया। छापे के दौरान मौके पर कोई नहीं मिला। आबकारी विभाग की अन्य कार्रवाई में 9 जनों को गिरफ्तार कर शराब जब्त की गई।

आबकारी निरोधक दल को सूचना मिली कि कविता गांव में बीएसएफ मुख्यालय के पीछे चंडीगढ़ निर्मित शराब का भंडारण है। शहर के आबकारी थाना प्रभारी घनश्याम शर्मा के नेतृत्व में दल ने वहां छापा मारा। यहां एक खेत पर बने कमरे में चंडीगढ़ निर्मित अंग्रेजी शराब मिली।

शराब बनाने की भी आशंका: मौके पर शराब बनाने में प्रयुक्त स्प्रिट और देसी शराब की बोतलों के 250 ढक्कन पड़े मिले। आबकारी विभाग इसकी गहनता से जांच कर रहा है कि यहां पर अवैध रूप से शराब बनाने का कारोबार करने वाले कौन हैं और कब से यह कारोबार चल रहा था। जांच में आया कि यह खेत मदन ब्राrाण नाम के व्यक्ति का है।

http://www.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-UDA-bsf-headquarters-grabbed-the-back-of-the-base-wine-2012431.html

Dhaka to take up border killings with New Delhi


From Yahoo News
Dhaka, April 12 (IANS) Bangladesh has said it would 'take up strongly' with New Delhi the issue of killing of its nationals by India's Border Security Force (BSF).
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Monday asked the foreign and home ministers to take it up with their Indian counterparts, saying 'killing of innocent citizens on the borders was not acceptable to Bangladesh', a minister told New Age.

तनाव से हलाकान बीएसएफ जवान ने की आत्महत्या

दैनिक भास्कर से
Source: पीलूराम साहू 12/04/11
रायपुर। तनाव ने एक बार फिर बीएसएफ जवान की जान ले ली। कालीमेला बस्तर क्षेत्र के एमवी 98 गांव में तैनात बीएसएफ जवान विक्रम सिंह ने रविवार की शाम गोली मारकर आत्महत्या करने की कोशिश की। इलाज के दौरान उन्होंने बीती देर रात दम तोड़ दिया। राजस्थान के गुंजन गांव का रहने वाला विक्रम पिछले कई दिनों से तनावग्रस्त था। वह गुमसुम भी रहने लगा था। साथियों को भी कुछ नहीं बताता था। पिछली शाम उसने अपने आपको गोली मार ली। शव पीएम के लिए भेज दिया गया है। पीएम के बाद शव राजस्थान भेजा जाएगा।

From BD Press:BSF kills native

From BDNews
Rajshahi, Apr 12 (bdnews24.com) – An Indian trespasser shot by Border Security Force (BSF) has died in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital on Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as Alamgir Hussein Kalu, 30, a resident of Bashgatha locality of Raninagar thana under Murshidabad district.

"The deceased trespassed Bangladesh after he was shot by the members of (BSF) through Sonaikandi border outpost (BoP) under Paba upazila." said Border Guard Battalion (BGB) commanding officer (CO) Lt. Col. Gazi Mohamamd Khalid Hussein of Rajshahi 37 battalion.

"He was later taken to RMCH where he died around 3am"

BSF has been notified to take delivery of the body, Khalid said.

The body has been kept in hospital for autopsy, said Rajpara police chief of Rajshahi city Sahidul Huq.

bdnews24.com/corr/cs/kmss/aik/shk/2028h

http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=192819&cid=2

NH blockade against BSF


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Morigaon Online

RANGIYA, April 12 - Hundreds of people here this morning blockade the NH 31 at Udiana for nearly an hour in protest against yesterday's incident of sudden assult on voters at a polling booth hereby.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Delhi mulls operation


Delhi mulls operation
Kokrajhar/Guwahati, April 9: The Centre is toying with the idea of a major offensive in the NDFB (Ranjan Daimary) strongholds bordering Bhutan where at least 10 paramilitary personnel have been killed in the last 20 days.
The hitch, apparently, is in the unwillingness on the part of Dispur and popular politicians in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) to go ahead with anything major, sources said. The last time a big operation was undertaken, it had only led to mass killings by the NDFB faction, which the Assam government could ill-afford in the middle of Assembly elections.
Thus, while security forces killed two NDFB cadres in Sonitpur on Thursday morning, in the jungles of Ultapani, where NDFB commander Bidai rules the roost and where security forces suffered losses, there was little action.
Attacks by the Daimary faction in the Bodo areas in the past month have sent alarm bells ringing not only in the paramilitary forces but also in the Union ministry of home affairs. The group has also attacked Bhutan police personnel in the past few months, making it embarrassing for the Centre. There is, however, apprehension among those in power at local level.
As the election season raged on in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) areas, the Y.S. Dadwal-led Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) lost two personnel to NDFB’s bullets at Ultapani near the Bhutan border on Monday. On March 14, the BSF lost eight personnel in the same area.
Unlike the army, the BSF is said not to have followed the standard operating procedures and travelled in a single truck, thus falling prey to the ambush in Ultapani.
Taking advantage of these weaknesses of the paramilitary forces are NDFB militants like Bidai. The 30-year-old commander of the outfit in Ultapani-Bhutan area is a Daimary loyalist and takes orders from John Ingti alias Songbijit, who is still at large.
B. Sudem, the self-styled army chief of the pro-talks faction of the NDFB who lives in Sephalguri designated camp with 530 cadres, said the Daimary faction had been active in Ultapani for a while now. Though the faction’s activities did not touch his group, his cadres remained alert.
“We do not agree with them,” he said, a huge blow-up of Bodo girls dancing Dahal Thungri at the Republic Day parade this year adorning his office in the camp, half of which was recently destroyed in a storm.
“We do not know about their policies. We are only waiting for the Centre to take a decision to end the six-year wait and give a decision on Bodoland,” he said. There is, however, little solace coming on this front from New Delhi.
The inertia cannot be denied. While action against the Daimary group has been withheld, the pro-talks faction of the NDFB, which celebrated India’s cricket World Cup victory in their camp, is left waiting for a solution for the past six years.
Sources said a big operation should be planned against the Daimary faction, especially after the SSB losses but the state government insists that nothing should be done. In the meantime, Daimary loyalists rule the roost.

Tripura BSF gets ALH chopper

The Assam Tribune
Correspondent
 AGARTALA, April 9 – The BSF Tripura Frontier has finally received an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH)- Dhrub to meet any emergency along the Indo-Bangla border, officialsources here said on Friday.

The Dhrub, an indigenous chopper developed by Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd, Bangalore is having all modern facilities in providing logistics to the jawans posted in far-flung areas. It has eight seats besides two reserved seats for pilots.
The chopper will benefit the BSF immensely in case of evacuation of ailing or injuredtroops from inaccessible areas, said AK Jain, Inspector General of BSF Tripura Frontier at Salbagan, Frontier Headquarters here.
He said, there are at least eight air-maintained Border Outposts (BOPs) where daily ration is being supplied by only helicopter.
There was a time when BSF authority had to struggle to evacuate jawans who often fall victim to malaria. “After getting the chopper, supplying of food items in the air maintained BOPs and evacuation will be easier”, he said adding that it might be used in air surveillance too.
Asserting that the chopper is exclusively meant for BSF, Jain said that it could be used by the local authority after permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
He further said that one more BSF battalion was inducted in the Frontier to ensure full proof vigil along the Indo-Bangla border. With the induction, the BSF strength goes up to 17 battalions.
To strengthen BSF presence in sensitive border areas, 35 more BOPs will be established besides deployment of more troops along the unfenced border starting from Khalangtang to Raishyabari via Govindabari.
The ongoing work of barbed wire fencing along the Indo-Bangla border will be over by 2012 as execution is in full swing; he said adding that of the total sanctioned flood light area – 854 km, work has so far been completed along 180 km. Flood light along the border is scheduled to be completed by 2012.
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=apr1011/oth07

Tripura BSF gets ALH chopper

The Assam Tribune
Correspondent
 AGARTALA, April 9 – The BSF Tripura Frontier has finally received an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH)- Dhrub to meet any emergency along the Indo-Bangla border, officialsources here said on Friday.

The Dhrub, an indigenous chopper developed by Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd, Bangalore is having all modern facilities in providing logistics to the jawans posted in far-flung areas. It has eight seats besides two reserved seats for pilots.
The chopper will benefit the BSF immensely in case of evacuation of ailing or injuredtroops from inaccessible areas, said AK Jain, Inspector General of BSF Tripura Frontier at Salbagan, Frontier Headquarters here.
He said, there are at least eight air-maintained Border Outposts (BOPs) where daily ration is being supplied by only helicopter.
There was a time when BSF authority had to struggle to evacuate jawans who often fall victim to malaria. “After getting the chopper, supplying of food items in the air maintained BOPs and evacuation will be easier”, he said adding that it might be used in air surveillance too.
Asserting that the chopper is exclusively meant for BSF, Jain said that it could be used by the local authority after permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
He further said that one more BSF battalion was inducted in the Frontier to ensure full proof vigil along the Indo-Bangla border. With the induction, the BSF strength goes up to 17 battalions.
To strengthen BSF presence in sensitive border areas, 35 more BOPs will be established besides deployment of more troops along the unfenced border starting from Khalangtang to Raishyabari via Govindabari.
The ongoing work of barbed wire fencing along the Indo-Bangla border will be over by 2012 as execution is in full swing; he said adding that of the total sanctioned flood light area – 854 km, work has so far been completed along 180 km. Flood light along the border is scheduled to be completed by 2012.
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=apr1011/oth07

HC upholds sacking of BSF man for creating ruckus


From Yahoo
New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today upheld the dismissal of a BSF constable from the force for creating ruckus and assaulting a colleague after consuming liquor.
A division bench of Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Suresh Kait rejected the petition of Jandel Singh who claimed he was provided "spiked" beer by one of his friends and sought his reinstatement.
The court said though Singh took the plea of being intoxicated but "tried to shift the blame on his friend whose existence has remained a mystery."

BHA League Hockey

From The Times Of India

April 9, 2011

BSF, North Bengal and Police AC 1-1 in a first division (group A) match of the Bengal Hockey Association League on Saturday.

Upa-pradhan held for alleged links with militants 4 militant cadres arrested by security forces


From Kangla Online
IMPHAL, April 8: At least three militant cadres including external affair secretary of UNPC have been arrested by security forces in separate counter insurgency operations launched in different part of the state.
In the first incident a combined team of the Imphal West district police commandos, 28 AR and 116 BSF arrested two active members of the proscribed PREPAK (P1) which included a upa-pradhan involved in various anti social activities.

Two men held with grenades


Imphal, April 8: A joint team of police, the Assam Rifles and BSF yesterday arrested two men with three hand grenades.
S. Ibomcha, deputy superintendent of police (commando), Imphal West, today said Khaidem Ibomcha, the upa-pradhan of Khurai Laishram Leikai gram panchayat, and another person identified as Laihaorungbam Robichandra, both 38, were arrested with the three grenades while they were travelling on a scooter last evening at Singjamei Chirom Leikai in Imphal West.
Ibomcha said the two were members of the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak. They joined the outfit six months ago and had picked up the grenades from a woman at Uripok in Imphal West. The police are now looking for the woman.
“They transported arms and ammunition from one place to another and also served demand letters to government departments, officials and businessmen,” Ibomcha said.
Interrogation also revealed that they would have hurled the grenades at the residences of some government officials and businessmen.
Ibomcha said the involvement of an elected person, who supposed to work for the welfare of people, in extortion activities was unfortunate.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110409/jsp/northeast/story_13828952.jsp

From BD Press: BSF shot cattle trader in Dinajpur


From Star Online Report

April 8
A Bangladeshi cattle trader was shot and injured by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Friday morning at Daudpur border in Birampur upazila of Dinajpur.
The victim is Md Abdur Rahim, 35, son of Islam Uddin of Damarpara village in the upazila, district Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officials said, reports our correspondent from Dinajpur.
BGB sources said BSF jawans of Bhimpur camp under 57 BSF Battalion of South Dinajpur fired at least two bullets when Rahim was returning home with his cattle at about 5:30am.
Subedar Abdul Kuddus of Daudpur BGB said critically wounded Rahim was admitted to Birampur Health Complex.
Meanwhile, BGB of Phulbari Battalion sent a letter to its counterpart protesting the firing incident.