Amritsar (Punjab) [India] : The Centre and state should discuss the issue of the increasing Border Security Force (BSF)’s jurisdiction to 50 km inside Punjab, said Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu on Monday. While speaking to the media here in Amritsar, Navjot Kaur said, “This matter should be discussed between the State and the Centre. If the purpose behind this is just to impose central rule in the state, then it’s wrong.” She said, “However, if Centre’s aim is to stop drug trafficking and drug-related issues, then it is a good step. But it should be a mutual decision.” Earlier on October 13, the Ministry of Home Affairs empowered the BSF to conduct searches, arrest suspects and make seizures upto an area of 50 km inside Indian territory from the International Border (IB) along India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders.
As per the fresh order, the BSF, which was only empowered to take action up to 15 kilometres in the states of Punjab, West Bengal and Assam, has now been authorised to have jurisdiction up to 50 km without any hurdle or further permission either from central or state governments. However, its jurisdiction has been cut short by 20 km in the five northeastern states– Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya– where it had jurisdiction up to 80 km. Similarly in Gujarat, the BSF’s jurisdiction has been curtailed from 80 to 50 km. In Rajasthan, the BSF’s area of jurisdiction will remain the same at 50 km.
