Amitabh
Shukla | Hussainiwala (Ferozepur)
It’s
freezing temperature on the international border and fog has made life tough
for those guarding it. There is wild growth on the other side of the fence and
the Sutlej River crosses over to Pakistan here, making the area sandy and
difficult to walk.
But
if you ask B Mallikarjuna, from distant Karnataka, if life is tough. His
immediate response would be—“No sir. The sanctity of the borders of the country
is so important. It is sacred to us, more important than anything else”. The
colleagues of Mallikarjuna are quick to add as they pose a counter question,
“How can life be tough and boring when there are so many challenges to
overcome?”
That
is the Indo-Pak International border in the Ferozepur sector for you and the
spirit of the jawans and officers of Border Security Force (BSF) which guards
the nation’s frontiers for us.
Just
as we are talking, three wild boars dash towards the fence to get over to the
other side. They have made small openings in the fence itself and its
surprising how they come to Indian side during the day time and spend the night
in the wild growth on the other side of the fence, a part of it in India and
then in the neighboring country.
Some
of these boars are trapped in the fence and electrocuted in the evenings as
electric wires are switched on and criss cross on the fence in a pattern which
makes it practically impossible for any intruder or smuggler to take this route
to India.
Jaswinder
Kumar Birdi, Commandant, 105 Battalion of BSF, says smuggling of narcotics is
of prime concern and the entire energy and focus is on checking the trade from
the other side. He cites figures for the seizures and said, “We have ensured
that their nefarious designs never succeed”.
Birdi
along with another Commandant who is on a visit from Mohali inspected the
modern and newly constructed three storied Border Out Post and issued
instructions to those on guard duty. From here, the jawans with position on the
top floor can observe any suspicious movement for miles and take appropriate
action. The officer says that all of them are trained to observe any movement,
particularly during the night time and fog when the smugglers might think that
they can take advantage of the conditions.
On
some stretches where there are rivers, rivulets or drains crossing the fence,
the BSF has come out with a mechanism wherein lasers are deployed to check any
infiltration attempt. “If the circuit of the laser breaks, which is if any
object comes between the laser, there is loud beep beep and the jawans
immediately take positions,” Birdi explained.
One of his jawans put his hand in front of the laser and there is a
sound immediately, indicating that the system was fool proof.
Officials
explained that the little smuggling which takes place is through those farmers
who cross the barbed fence for agricultural purposes. “These farmers are
thoroughly checked before the gates of the barbed fence are opened and also
after they come back in the evening. But smugglers try to be innovative and
occasionally hide narcotics in hollow space in agriculture equipment and joints
of tractor trolleys and similar methods,” said an official. Some of the earlier
methods like using a plastic pipe to smuggle in the narcotics or simply
throwing it from across the border for another courier this side has huge risk
and propensity to get caught is high, officials said, suggesting that this has
come down significantly in recent months.
After
the vigorous work at the border, there is another grueling task for selected
jawans to perform—this is the retreat ceremony at the time of lowering of flags
for both India and Pakistan at the Hussainiwala Border every evening. This is
the public face of the BSF which the entire world sees and admires. In perfect
coordination, the BSF Jawans and the Pakistani Rangers rupture the silence in
the evening at the International Border by the clattering of heavy boots. The
well dressed BSF men in Khaki with impressive read head gear amid slogans of
Bharat Mata ki Jai and Hindustan Zindabad march in perfect coordination for half
an hour.
Satyapal
Singh who is one of the six men in the impressive retreat ceremony is in the
BSF for 22 years and is doing the retreat parade for the last 8 months. Hailing
from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, the six and a half feet Jawan leads the team at
the parade and inspires other members.
Dileep Kumar from Koderma in Jharkhand has been doing the parade for the
last 18 months and is energized when the Indian crowd eggs him on and urge him
to show aggressive gestures.
Constable
Manohar Lal from Pali district in Rajasthan is quite impressive. He shows
amazing flexibility while lifting his legs which extend beyond his soldiers—a
feat which is extremely difficult. “I practice for it and keep the body fit”
says the Jawan, who is into this parade for the last three years and has been
in BSF service for the last 6 years.
Asked
what motivates them every day, the
jawans say, “enthusiasm of the public, adulation, selfies with the visitors as
they feel so important and love for the country”. The performing Jawans add, the more the
adulation, the more they put in their effort to impress the country men and
also the Pakistani visitors about the Indian might.
Manohar
Lal adds, “The more public chants, the greater motivation we get”. Despite the
aggressive gestures both by the BSF Jawans and the Pakistani Rangers, the
entire parade is held is very cordial, said the Jawans. “We also have joint
practice when there is a change in Jawans from either side for perfect
coordination,” said the Inspector in-charge of the post.
With
officers and Jawans from all over the country, nothing could be more symbolic
of national integration than BSF. It is here that caste, colour, State and
language gets blurred and what one gets is a common love for the country and
disdain for those who violate the borders. Life on the border is tough. But the
Jawans are tougher. January 11, 2018)
