NEW DELHI, Nov 29:
The Border Security Force (BSF) today refuted the charge that there was a breach in its defence mechanisms in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba sector last September where a terror attack killed ten people.
The border guarding force said its assessment, after the attack, brought out the fact that there has been no “transgression” from Pakistan side and that there has been no lapse in its vigil.
“We carried out an in-depth analysis (after the attack) and saw that the fence was in tact. There are some ‘nullahs’ along the fence and they were well-guarded and on that day (September 26) all mechanisms were in place.
“We have not come across any such transgression and this is where it stands today,” BSF chief Subhash Joshi told reporters here in reply to a number of questions from journalists in this regard.
The BSF Director General was interacting during his annual press conference on the occasion of the forces’ 48th Raising Day on December 1.
There have been reports in the past that the three terrorists had entered Hiranagar in Samba sector after crossing the International Border (IB) through a riverine area. The Union Home Ministry had also asked for an inquiry report in this case as the IB is guarded by the BSF.
The terrorists had attacked the Army’s Cavalry unit based in the area and killed and officer during the few hours they perpetrated the terror running amock and spraying bullets.
The BSF Director General said a five-year-old proposal of creating a large embankment along the Pakistan border is in progress.
The embankment, running 179 kms along the border area on the Indian side, had been planned and approved by the Union Government for creating better defences against enemy fire and shelling.
“The Government had approved the project long back and at present the process of acquiring land for creating the embankment is being done by the State Government. The process involves re-location of some villages and as of now 40 per cent of the land has been acquired,” Joshi said.
The DG said “the last one month has been peaceful in terms of ceasefire violations” along the Pakistan border but the force is ready for any challenge and is on vigil.
“We have agreed with our counterparts in deploying mechanisms for maintaining the sanctity of the border,” the senior IPS officer said.
A high-level delegation led by the DG and senior officials from Home Ministry is also travelling to Pakistan next month for three-day talks with the Rangers, the border guards of Pakistan.
Joshi also said that on the western frontier (Pakistan border) the fencing has been complete in 95 per cent areas and the rest is being taken up.
The force, which guards 2290-kms of the IB with Pakistan, is also planning to deploy indigenously developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) ‘Netra’ along this border for security purposes. (PTI)
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