BSF Should Be Kept At Borders Only, Rest Should Be Left To Punjab Police: Deputy CM Sukhjinder Randhawa
"Punjab is safe in the hands of the Punjab Police and that the centre should instead focus on drugs, weapons & drones coming from across the border", Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
New Delhi: Punjab Deputy CM and Home Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa visited the Ajnala area of Amritsar that borders Pakistan on Friday night ANI reported. He addressed the media and said that an 'unseen emergency' like the situation is being created in Punjab, which will never be tolerated.
He addressed the media and reiterated that the Border Security Force should be kept at the borders only and the rest of the area should be left with Punjab Police.
Randhawa told the media, People fear that BSF personnel would randomly enter their houses, cordon off villages & conduct searches. If BSF enters villages, conducts searches, registers cases or set up stations, it would be an attempt to weaken the federal structure of the country.
He further added that Punjab is safe in the hands of the Punjab Police and that the centre should instead focus on drugs, weapons & drones coming from across the border.
"Peaceful Punjabis must not be harassed", ANI quoted him as saying.
The Union government amended the BSF Act giving the security force authorization 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.
Randhawa condemned the decision and urged the Centre to withdraw it when it was first announced as well.
"I urge the prime minister and the home minister to withdraw the move. I do not understand what is in the mind of the government. It is interference and an attack on our rights," he told reporters.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi called it an "attack on federalism".
"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.
In an attempt to clarify the decision, the BSF's issued a press release which said, “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 and to an extent of 50 km from the international boundary within the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal and Assam, running along the borders of India. Earlier, the limit was fixed to 80 km in case of Gujarat and 15 km in case of Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal and Assam".
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