On Security, Wrong Answer

Context: The recent extension in jurisdiction of BSF won’t resolve the threats in internal security. Strengthening police capabilities, improving coordination between security agencies and cooperation with state law enforcement are need of the hour.

Border security threats before India

• Cross-border smuggling: Technology adaptation further complicating challenges. Eg. Drone drops in Punjab.
  • Limited intercept and destroy capabilities of security forces remains a weak link. Eg. Drug seizer in Gujarat, limited success in downing drones in Jammu and Punjab.
• Cross-border infiltration: Persisting issue mainly due to gaps in intelligence gathering and inaction on actionable intelligence, as in Pulwama.
• Illegal migration: The curbing illegal migration requires coordination between India and its neighbours at the political and security level.
  • Recently, passing of Citizenship Amendment Act, deporting Myanmar refugees even when they were locally welcomed, cancelling Afghan visas have raised our neighbours’ hackles, making cooperation more difficult and impacting negatively on border security.
• Grave policing problem: State police forces have increasingly become arms of ruling politicians instead of upholders of constitutional law.
  • Eg: Central and state police forces being pitted against one another in Bengal elections.

Complications associated with extending jurisdiction of BSF

• Risk of civilian resentment: It raises the risk of civilian resentment as the BSF is not trained to operate in residential & market areas.
• Undermine the state police morale: It will undermine the state police forces’ morale even further.
• Security Gap: Pitting BSF against state police will inevitably create more security gaps.
• BSF is likely to be overstretched by its new tasks. could weaken rather than strengthen the BSF’s security capabilities as what happened with CRPF a decade ago.
• Political/Federal issues: Opposition parties accuse this as yet another step to undermine India’s federal structure.

Way Forward: For strengthening police capabilities, it is vital that other security forces to cooperate with local police forces, not bypass them and, Police reforms be carried out in war footing.