The Border Security Force (BSF) has shot down 16 drones in areas along the Pakistan border this year, mostly in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, Director General Pankaj Kumar Singh said on Wednesday.
Drones have emerged as one of the key challenges for the force that guards the border, said Mr. Singh, as it does not yet have a “foolproof anti-drone technology” though some Indian companies are working on solutions.
“We are providing good incentive to the force to detect and shoot down these drones. They usually enter when it is dark and it is difficult to detect them by keeping an ear to the ground. This year, 16 drones were shot down, while last year only one drone was taken down,” Mr. Singh said at a press conference on the eve of the 58thRaising Day of the force.
New technology
He said that new technology was being tested to detect the drones, adding that the BSF has tied up with the State police for patrolling in-depth areas and to confiscate items such as drugs and arms that are dropped by the drones.
“When the drones drop items, somebody on this side of the border has to be there to collect it. We increased patrolling and deployment in the areas away from the border after it was found during an interrogation of an accused that items are being dropped in such manner,” said the BSF DG. He added that all drones have a unique chip carrying information about their flight path and other details. Based on the analysis of one such chip, the BSF passed on precise electronic evidence to the Punjab Police who arrested eight persons for smuggling drugs. It was found that all eight were previously convicted for a similar crime as well.
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Many anti-drone systems with varying capabilities are deployed on the border, said Mr. Singh, adding that procurement of a vehicle-mounted system is under consideration by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). He said that the MHA has sanctioned ₹30 crore to deploy 5,500 surveillance cameras along the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders.
Public outreach
The BSF is trying to raise awareness among the public that the army is not the only organisation that protects the border. “We are trying to create awareness about BSF and have reached out to three lakh school children on the role of the BSF,” the DG said.
Another challenge for the BSF is cyber security. “With 5G coming, cyber security will be a big thing, we need to protect our systems from attacks such as the recent ransomware attack in AIIMS,” he said.
While 14,000 personnel were recruited to the BSF last year, around 7,500 recruits will be given appointment letters next January, Mr. Singh said.
