New Delhi, Sept 1: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Tuesday urged the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards India’s open borders with Nepal and Bhutan, to revive its original role of engaging with border communities to strengthen security and intelligence gathering.
Mohan was speaking at an investiture ceremony of the SSB, where 18 personnel were presented medals for gallantry and distinguished service.
Recalling the force’s origins, the Home Secretary said the SSB was raised in 1961-62 and initially focused on engaging with people living along the borders to create awareness and generate intelligence.
He said this role was reduced after the SSB was assigned the responsibility of guarding India’s open borders with Nepal and Bhutan. The Ministry of Home Affairs, he said, believes the force should once again focus on community engagement while continuing its border-guarding duties.
Mohan also praised the SSB for using modern technologies, including facial recognition systems, radars and drones, to secure the two borders.
He said the force maintains a close watch to prevent human trafficking, drug trafficking and arms smuggling along the frontiers.
The SSB guards the 1,751-km India-Nepal border and the 699-km India-Bhutan border, both of which are largely open and unfenced.
