Women guards of BSF watch over Punjab border as India ushers in 2022

Women in the Border Security Force (BSF) play as much role as their male counterparts in protecting India's borders. In the Indo-Pakistan border in Punjab, women soldiers of BSF always keep a watchful eye on the border, preventing smugglers slipping through into Indian territory with drugs, weapons and other contraband.

Gurdaspur: The Border Security Force, India's first line of defence, guards the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, stretching along 553 kilometres. The border starts from the edges of Punjab neighbouring Jammu Kashmir all the way to sandy plains of Rajasthan.

The women Bravehearts of BSF guard the border and thwart terrorist infiltration bids along the Line of Control. These women are deployed in the watchtowers to keep an eye on any suspicious activity and the movements of Indian farmers. Another important job they do is to keep a check on farmers who go outside the borders to plough the fields in the morning then return in the evening.

The first gaze of these women is always on the border and the ears are always on alert to keep a check on any unwanted activity, with smugglers ready as ever to find a moment's notice to slip through into Indian territory, carrying drugs, weapons and various other types of contraband.

With India ready to usher in the new year on the night of December 31, these bravehearts in uniforms, alongside their male counterparts, were on the line of duty away from their homes and families, safeguarding the nation's security at the cost of their own.

Out of the entirety of Punjab's border with Pakistan, about 138 km is bounded by the Gurdaspur district alone.

About 118 km of this border in the Gurdaspur district lies in the plain region, protected with barbed wire, while the rest of the area lies in the Ravi River which is constantly monitored by the BSF on their patrol boats.

To help BSF, sniffer dogs and cavalry patrols are also used, especially during the winters with prevailing foggy conditions and visibility close to zero.

Last year in a decision concerning national security, the Union government amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of the existing 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.