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The
Border Security Force (BSF) is the primary Border Guarding police force
of India. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of the
Union of India. Till 1965 India’s borders with Pakistan were manned by
the State Armed Police Battalion. Pakistan attacked Sardar Post, Chhar
Bet and Beria Bet on 9 April, 1965 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 specialized centrally
controlled Border Security Force, which 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 1st December 1965, and Shri K. F. Rustamji
was the first chief and founding father. The BSF is a Central Armed
Police Force charged with guarding India's land border during peace time
and preventing transnational crime. It is a Union Government Agency
under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs. The BSF
has its own cadre of officers but its head, designated as a
Director-General (DG), since its raising has been an officer from the
Indian Police Service. It is an Armed Force of the Union of India tasked
with various assignments from time to time. The BSF has grown
exponentially from a few battalions in 1965, to 186 battalions with
strength of 2.5 lakh personnel including an expanding air wing, marine
wing, artillery regiments, and commando units. It currently stands as
the world's largest border guarding force. BSF has been termed as the
First Wall of Defence of Indian Territories.
Home Minister Shri
Rajnath Singh today released a commemorative stamp in denomination of
Rs. 5 to mark 50 years of raising of country's largest border guarding
force BSF at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 21st October 2015.
