Amit Shah calls for demolition of illegal structures within 15 km of border: What are the BSF's powers?

📌 Summary:

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday (May 26) in Bikaner (Rajasthan) directed authorities to enforce a "zero tolerance" policy and demolish all illegal constructions within 15 km of India''s borders

• Shah called on BSF to maintain constant vigilance against smuggling, infiltration and cross-border activities; the call to action focused on the 15-km belt despite the Centre''s 2021 expansion of BSF jurisdiction to 50 km in several states

• BSF — origin & mandate: established under the Border Security Force Act, September 1968 (post 1965 Indo-Pak war); primary mandate is peacetime border guarding on Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders; world''s largest border guarding force (~2.6 lakh personnel)

• Statutory powers: BSF Act + sections of CrPC/Passports Act/Customs Act/NDPS Act/Arms Act let BSF arrest, search and seize within its notified jurisdiction; can act as a "first responder" against trans-border crime

• 2021 jurisdiction expansion (MHA notification, Oct 2021): BSF''s area of operation extended from 15 km to 50 km in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam; reduced to 50 km uniformly in Gujarat (from 80 km); kept at 50 km in Rajasthan. Five north-eastern states & UTs of J&K and Ladakh have ''entire territory'' jurisdiction

• Why 15 km still matters: the inner 15-km zone is the operational core for routine patrolling, observation posts, and immediate demolition action; criminal infiltration funnels and tunnels are typically concentrated here

• Federal tension: Punjab and West Bengal challenged the 2021 expansion before the Supreme Court arguing it encroaches on State police powers (List II, Schedule VII); matter is pending

• Linked initiatives: Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), smart fencing on Indo-Bangladesh & Indo-Pak, Vibrant Villages Programme on northern border

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — Border management; role of central armed police forces; federalism tensions in policing border zones; cross-border crime, smuggling, infiltration

📝 Prelims Facts:

• BSF raised under Border Security Force Act, 1968; HQ in New Delhi
• BSF guards India-Pakistan & India-Bangladesh international borders
• Jurisdiction (post Oct 2021 MHA notification): 50 km in Punjab, WB, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan; entire territory in J&K, Ladakh & 5 NE states; 80 km in Meghalaya/Mizoram/Tripura/Nagaland/Manipur was reduced uniformly
• CAPF nodal MHA; BSF is one of seven CAPFs (CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF, NSG, Assam Rifles partial)

🔑 Key Term: Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) — MHA''s tech-driven border surveillance combining thermal imaging, radars, sensors, aerostats and a single command-and-control framework along India''s western and eastern land borders.