Till a month ago, residents of Bholaganj and some other far-flung areas had maintained a distance from the BSF. This was because the jawans manning the outposts in this highly sensitive border sector looked at them with suspicion, while the residents themselves made no effort to set the record straight.

“We are happy that the BSF has finally decided to become a part of our lives. We are not their enemies and would always help them if they confided in us,” Bola Kachari, a resident of Nayabasti, said.

Virendra Kumar, who is in charge of the BSF's 117 battalion, echoed the villager. 'We want to convince the people that they have as much a role to play in securing the border as we have. The only difference is we are armed and they are not.”