Their mandate is to thwart all illegal entries—infiltration attempts as well as smuggling of livestock, drugs and currency—through the riverine borders of India. They do this while battling the forces of nature and some tough terrain. Meet the jawans of the Border Security Force’s floating border outposts (FBOPs).
My visit to two FBOPs, in Koteshwar, Kutch, Gujarat, and in Hasnabad in the Sundarbans helped me appreciate the trying conditions these jawans face. In Hasnabad, cyclones that form over the Bay of Bengal are a threat. The treacherous weather in the Sundarbans is an everyday challenge. For the team at Kutch, the major concerns are the constant exposure to saline water, which affects their joints, and the marshy terrain near the creeks. Says Head Constable (Master) George P. Nixon, from Kottayam, Kerala, who is a navigator at the Sundarbans FBOP: “We touch base occasionally as blood pressure and sugar levels fluctuate on water. We get the assistance of doctors to deal with such problems.”
FBOPs, which hold crews of 35 to 40 members, operate at sea for three weeks at a stretch before they return to base for refuelling. Designed and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, the vessels are 34.5 metre-long and are fitted with 2x300hp Cummins engines. They have modern surveillance equipment such as echo sounders and advanced communication systems. The vessels are air-conditioned to beat the humidity and dampness. Each FBOP has four fast patrolling boats (FPBs) to monitor narrow creeks which larger vessels cannot enter. In Koteshwar, the BSF also uses better armed fast attack crafts to patrol the creeks.
For the men aboard FBOPs, days start with puja, followed by yoga on the deck. The platforms have rudimentary gyms, too. There is a kitchen and a mess. After breakfast, patrols set off on FPBs. The jawans on night duty sometimes undertake ambush patrolling. They stop the FPBs in the dark and lay in wait for smugglers.
The Harami Nullah, with its mouth in Pakistan, poses a significant threat and is under constant surveillance. The international boundary dividing the Sundarbans between India and Bangladesh passes through several rivers.
My stay on the FBOPs gave me opportunities to interact with the jawans. I met Selim, from Murshidabad, West Bengal, in Koteshwar. Talking to him was as easy as talking to my neighbour. As we chatted in Bengali, I realised how lonely these men must be. They are cut off from their families because of their remote postings. But, the high tide, which brings much work for them, also brings with it network signals (the vessels rise with increasing water levels) that enable them to make quick calls home.
While their stay and work is difficult, the officers and jawans have their moments of leisure, too, playing games like carrom, ludo and chess. They have a camaraderie which only men in such high-pressure jobs can share.