Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has condemned the Centre’s decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force to a 50 km belt along the international border in few states. The central government has done it for Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.
“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,” tweeted Channi.
Before this the BSF’s jurisdiction was a 15 km belt along the border.
Chief Minister called the move “a direct attack on federalism” and urged Union home minister Amit Shah to over turn the decision.
In its notice, the Ministry of Home Affairs had written, “The amendment effected on October 11, 2021 establishes uniformity in defining the area within which Border Security Force can operate as per its charter of duties and execution of its role and task of border guarding in its areas of deployment. This will also enable improved operational effectiveness in curbing trans-border crime.”
The area has been reduced to a 50 km belt as before it was 80 km. It remained the same in Rajasthan at 50 km. In Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, no limit has been prescribed, as was the case earlier.
