Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the Border Security Force’s 59th Raising Day event in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh on December 1.
As per officials, the Home Minister is expected to arrive in Jharkhand’s capital, Ranchi, by Thursday evening. Shah will interact with the top BSF officials soon after reaching Hazaribagh.
The Home Minister will attend the Raising Day event at Rani Jhansi Parade Ground Training Centre and School at Hazaribagh on December 1 morning.
Rani Jhansi Parade Ground Training Centre is the oldest training centre of the BSF and is located at Meru in Hazaribagh, where this function is being held for the first time.
BSF said the Home Minister has consented to attend the event as a chief guest and he will take a salute at the ceremonial parade and address the force around 11 am.
As per the programme schedule, the Home Minister is to spend more than two hours at the event, which includes a salute at the ceremonial parade, an address to BSF personnel, demonstrations and cultural programs and a visit to the weapon exhibition and photo gallery.
The BSF, which is the largest border guarding force in the world with a strength of nearly 2.5 lakh personnel, celebrates its Raising Day every year on December 1.
Mandated to guard the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh border, the BSF is the only force of the nation with a distinctly defined wartime as well as peacetime role. The force has successfully proved its mettle in accomplishing every task assigned to it in times of war and peace while ensuring peace and tranquillity on the border.
The BSF troops, deployed in the most challenging terrain and remote locations, have been serving as the guardians of India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Till 1965, India’s border with Pakistan was manned by the State Armed Police Battalion. On April 9, 1965, Pakistan attacked Sardar Post, Chhar Bet and Beria Bet in Kutch. This exposed the inadequacy of the State Armed Police to cope with armed aggression, due to which the Government of India felt the need for a specialised, centrally controlled Border Security Force that would be armed and trained to man the international border with Pakistan.
As a result of the recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries, the Border Security Force came into existence on December 1, 1965.
Initially, in 1965, BSF was raised with 25 battalions and, with the passage of time, was expanded as per the requirement of the nation to fight against militancy in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and the Northeast region.
At present, BSF is holding 192 (including three NDRF) battalions and seven BSF artillery regiments guarding the international border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
In addition, BSF is also performing an anti-infiltration role in Kashmir Valley, counter-insurgency in the North East region, anti-naxal operations in Odisha and Chhattisgarh states and security of integrated checkposts along the Pakistan and Bangladesh international borders.
