E-Paper
Blazing sun no deterrent to BSF jawans manning barbed fence along Indo-Pak border
Troops patrol dusty road on foot for nearly 12 hours a day in two shifts, keeping an eagle eye on any suspicious movement
At 1pm, the sun was blazing hot at 42 degrees Celsius in the Kahangarh border outpost (BoP) area on the India-Pakistan border near Amritsar district’s Attari village on Tuesday.
But the soaring temperature was no deterrent to the dedication of the Border Security Force (BSF) jawans manning the barbed-wire fence. Carrying water bottles with guns strapped around their shoulders, every jawan patrols the unpaved dusty road along the fence on foot for nearly 12 hours a day in two shifts, keeping an eagle eye on any suspicious movement across the fence.
There is a lack of greenery along the border and the mercury sometimes touches 45 degrees here, but these troops’ willpower in guarding the sensitive border remains as high as ever.
“After joining the force, we undergo special training for some months. The training not only makes us physically strong, but also equips us mentally to stay determined. Though we are also allowed to patrol on jeeps and motorcycles, we prefer to do it on foot given the sensitivity of the area,” said a head constable patrolling the fence.
The company commandant, who took the HT team along to the border outpost, said they are responsible for manning the 5.5-km long area, including parts of the rail track connecting the two countries.
“We have 80 personnel, including some women, who are deployed for 24x7 patrolling. Those patrolling the fence are from the ranks of the constable to assistant sub-inspector (ASI). Our jawans keep a strict vigil by using binoculars are from seven observation posts in the area. I never came across an incident when a jawan expressed unwillingness to go out citing severe heat,” he says.
“When an alert is sounded, more jawans are sent from the headquarters for patrolling and sentinel duty. We have four horses for patrol and two sniffer dogs,” he adds.
With the paddy season going on, several jawans are deployed across the fence and before the zero line when farmers go to their fields in the area for sowing the crop. These jawans stay with the farmers from 10am to 5pm.
“The jawans are deployed to ensure the farmers’ safety. We ensure the farmers and labourers don’t cross the zero line. We thoroughly search the farmers and their vehicles during their entry and exit from the fencing gates,” says head constable Ram Das Sharma, who is posted as a sentinel.
Another jawan demanded that scanners be installed along the fence to check vehicles to save time. When it rains, the dusty unpaved road along the fence turns marshy, making it difficult for the personnel to patrol the area.
The company commandant says, “We have special rain suits and shoes for our jawans to perform duty. Since the drone sighting incidents are being reported, our jawans remain extra careful. We have issued shoot on sight orders.”
Apart from Jammu, Rajasthan and Gujarat, Punjab shares a 553-km-long frontier with Pakistan.
