We have women personnel at all border gates for frisking of women, says BSF DG

Border Security Force (BSF) has women personnel at all border gates for the frisking of women, said BSF DG Pankaj Singh on Tuesday.

While speaking to ANI, Pankaj Singh said, "We have women personnel at all border gates for the frisking of women. No let-up takes place here."

"We have around 7500 women personnel, including 140 Officers. They have been deployed at the Bangladesh border and Punjab border. Only women personnel frisk women," added BSF DG.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA had accused BSF personnel of appropriately touching women while searching them during border movements, the border guarding force said that the frisking of women is done by only women constables.

During the discussion on a resolution against the BSF's jurisdiction extension, a ruckus erupted after TMC MLA Udayan Guha said, "When women cross the border, BSF personnel in the name of search, touch them inappropriately. No matter how much they say Bharat Mata Ki Jai, they cannot be patriotic."

The Centre earlier in the month of October had empowered the BSF to conduct searches, arrest suspects and make seizures up to an area of 50km inside Indian territory from the International Border (IB) along India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders.

The BSF, which was only empowered to take action up to 15 kilometres in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam, has now been authorised to extend its jurisdiction up to 50km without any hurdle or permission either from central or state governments.

( With inputs from ANI )