Will never act as parallel police, says BSF DG on jurisdiction row

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30

Amid the jurisdiction row following the Centre’s decision to extend the BSF’s operational area from 15 km to 50 km in Punjab and West Bengal, BSF Director General (DG) Pankaj Singh today said its personnel would not act as parallel police in the frontier states.

Clarifying further that the Centre’s decision has only added “new responsibilities” to the BSF, Singh, while briefing mediapersons here on the occasion of the force’s raising day, said, “The force’s jurisdiction has been extended only in respect of the powers it enjoys under the Passport (Entry into India) Act and the Passports Act and these are only for those who violate border entry rules.”

The BSF DG said, “Infiltration has been a big issue due to which Tripura and Assam witnessed agitation and in West Bengal demographic imbalance has happened in several districts. To keep a check on infiltration, the BSF powers have been extended.”

“I would like to make clear that in case of any operations conducted by the BSF in extended jurisdiction area, the FIR will be registered in a local police station and it will be investigated by the local police station. We are not going to act as parallel police or do an investigation,” he said, adding that the jurisdiction in case of the NDPS Act, Arms Act and Customs Act had not been changed.