A Line In The Sand: The Life Of A BSF Officer At Rajasthan Border

Manisha Meena wakes up at five in the morning, every day. The Thar desert is quiet then, except of a cool but sharp wind that carries dust and sand through the fenced Line of Control (LoC) that separates India and Pakistan. The LOC is only visible to the eye because of the wired and electrified fence that divides the land바카라�only India has a fence, Pakistan does not. 

While patrolling the fence Meena, who is a sub-inspector, has to watch her 바카라�counterpart바카라� who patrols near the outpost on the Pakistan side, and also other dangers. 바카라�The desert is full of reptiles바카라� snakes and scorpions. It is especially hard to keep an eye out for the counterpart while watching out for the reptiles,바카라� she says. 

For most citizens, the borders are cartographic lines on a school atlas, but for the men and women of the BSF, it is a living, breathing tension they patrol in shifts: 12-hour watches of dust, heat, wind, and the relentless weight of vigilance. 

바카라�The border is the line between two countries which it is our duty to ensure no one crosses,바카라� says DIG Y.S. Rathore. He adds that 바카라�The BSF isn바카라�t just India바카라�s first line of defence. It바카라�s a promise바카라�that no traitor gets a chance to betray us, and no enemy goes undetected.바카라�

The BSF is patrols India바카라�s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh by land; it is known as India바카라�s first line of defence on land. In Rajasthan, the border force patrols long stretches of arid, often inhospitable desert, where temperatures swing from one extreme to the other. For Second-in-Command Jaipal Singh, who serves on this stretch, 바카라�isolation바카라� is the biggest problem the BSF faces while stationed at such borders. 바카라�There바카라�s no network, no civilian population.바카라�

A typical day for troops starts with physical training at dawn바카라�running, push-ups, drills. Then, breakfast which is followed by inspections, maintenance of equipment, and training sessions. By 10 in the morning, as the sun beats down heavy on the desert, troops start their patrol shifts, navigating barbed-wire fences under scorching heat or during pitch-dark nights during which the only lights are the floodlights on the LoC fence. They have to scan for movement across the border, staying alert for everything from smugglers to spies. 

Sub-Inspector Meena, who has been stationed at the Indo-Pak border in Jaisalmer for three years, is one of the 24 women posted on the base. 바카라�The most difficult thing here,바카라� she says, 바카라�is the isolation. There바카라�s no civilian interaction. But our troops become like family. When I miss my family in Delhi, I spend time with them. It lightens the load.바카라�

She says that 바카라�The weather is extreme,바카라� she says. 바카라�Scorching heat in summer, biting cold in winter. And then there are the reptiles. Scorpions, snakes. During night patrols, you바카라�re keeping an eye on the other side바카라�but you바카라�re also watching the ground beneath your boots.바카라�

Her main responsibility, she adds, was 바카라�to observe the counterpart바카라�바카라�the Pakistani Rangers who operate just across the fence. 바카라�If something happens there, we must be the first to see. That바카라�s the job.바카라�

But there is also pride. 바카라�To get an opportunity to serve the nation is a matter of pride for me personally,바카라� Meena says. 바카라�If I바카라�m standing here, then behind me my family and the people of the nation are sleeping well.바카라�

DIG Rathore says that much of what sustains BSF troops isn바카라�t just the equipment or even training바카라�but trust. 바카라�We instil pride right from training. And we tell our troops: your commanders will always have your back. That belief바카라�that the person leading them will stand beside them in the trenches바카라�keeps morale high.바카라�

The BSF began inducting women into its ranks in 2008. Initially, the force recruited women as constables. In 2013, women officers joined in combat roles. DIG Rathore says since then the force has improved with the introduction of women officers.

바카라�We have many women troops at the border,바카라� Rathore says. 바카라�And once a woman puts on the uniform, we don바카라�t look at gender. That person is a troop. That바카라�s all that matters.바카라� He adds, with deliberate conviction: 바카라�Women have shown that if given a chance, they are exceptional. 

Still, the life of a border officer is demanding. Rotations are long; visits home are few. 바카라�Mental health is tested,바카라� says Jaipal Singh, adds that 바카라�it helps when your unit becomes your second family.바카라�