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Patna, April 14: Sounds incredible, but true. Some of our security men are patrolling international border on bicycles! Reason: Man crunch.
The personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) are using bicycles to patrol India-Nepal border these days because several jawans have been deployed on election duty in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puduchery (erstwhile Pondicherry).
Rupesh Madhuwal, the assistant commandant of the 34th battalion of the SSB deployed in East Champaran district, told The Telegraph that the SSB personnel were using bicycles to patrol the porous border because of shortage of manpower. “While a company of the central paramilitary force has been drafted for election duty in Assam another company has been sent to Tamil Nadu. They will keep on moving from one state to another till the elections are over,” he said, adding bicycle patrolling had been introduced under the provisions of the central force.
In sharp contrast, the residents of the area said the patrolling parties (teams) were using the bicycles seized from the goods carriers (peddlers of smugglers) arrested from the bordering areas. “The SSB does not have the provision to supply bicycles to jawans. They are using the bicycles seized from the suppliers of smuggled goods to ease their Herculean task owing to the manpower shortage these days.”
The SSB jawans, including women, carry out patrolling on bicycles in groups. Each group has a minimum strength of eight personnel. During night patrolling, the number of personnel of a patrol party is increased up to 10 for security reasons. Needless to say, they are equipped with the latest night vision devices and firearms to check trans-border activities.
The members of the group are changed frequently. “No member of the group knows about the place of his/her duty on a particular day. They are informed about their duty only a few minutes before the patrolling starts. This is done as a precautionary measure and to reduce the chances of personnel mingling with the local residents,” Madhuwal added.
The assistant commandant said usually some personnel patrol the areas from one border outpost to another on foot and others use motorcycles. The on-foot patrolling is done in the areas where there is no metallic road, he said.
Sources said there is a border outpost every 3km. Since it is a porous and open border and the people of the two countries have familiarity with each other, it is very difficult for the SSB personnel to differentiate between the smugglers and the bona fide citizens. According to sources, 25 persons, including two women, have been arrested so far this year on the charge of smuggling goods from Indian territory to Nepal and vice versa. “Two women were arrested in the first week of February with heroine,” the assistant commandant revealed.
Female personnel of the force have recently been attached with the patrolling teams. On an average each patrolling team has two or three female personnel as the number of woman traffickers have increased in the past few years. The 13th battalion of the SSB comprised of 35 female personnel (one platoon).