NEW DELHI: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Tuesday called on the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) to revive its original community-oriented role along India’s borders with Nepal and Bhutan, saying greater engagement with local people was essential to building goodwill and strengthening the intelligence network in frontier areas.
Speaking at an investiture ceremony of the force, Mohan said the SSB faced a “unique” responsibility as it guarded India’s borders with two friendly neighbours, where there are no physical barriers in large stretches.
“When the SSB was conceptualised in the 1961-62 time period, its main aim was to generate goodwill for India, engage with the locals to prepare a strong intelligence network at these borders and help the Armed Forces deployed in these areas,” he said.
However, over the years, the force’s community engagement declined as its role as an armed border-guarding organisation expanded, he noted.
“At the MHA, we believe the SSB should take steps to return to its original role, as it was envisioned, while maintaining its current mandate,” Mohan said, assuring the force of the ministry’s support.
The Home Secretary said the renewed emphasis on community engagement was part of the government’s broader plan to establish a “quadrangular” system of border security.
Under the proposed framework, border guarding forces such as the SSB would constitute the first pillar. State government authorities working in remote frontier areas would form the second, while law enforcement and financial agencies, including the Income Tax Department and anti-narcotics agencies, would make up the third.
The fourth pillar would be the local population, whose cooperation and awareness would be critical to effective border management, Mohan said.
He described the proposed framework as a significant new approach to border security and said it would strengthen the country’s frontier management in the coming months and years.
Mohan also praised the SSB for effectively guarding the 1,751-km India-Nepal border and the 699-km India-Bhutan frontier. The force was originally raised in the aftermath of the 1962 Chinese aggression under the Cabinet Secretariat. It was transferred to the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2001 and subsequently assigned responsibility for the Nepal border the same year and the Bhutan border in 2004.
Unlike India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Nepal and Bhutan frontiers largely lack physical fencing, making surveillance and intelligence gathering particularly important.
The SSB has increasingly relied on technology, including facial-recognition cameras, CCTV systems and radars, to monitor movement along the borders. Mohan said the force’s surveillance and intelligence capabilities had helped identify and apprehend people involved in activities ranging from human trafficking and arms smuggling to drug trafficking and circulation of fake Indian currency.
At the ceremony, 18 SSB personnel were honoured with medals for gallantry and distinguished service.
Mohan also read out a message from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was scheduled to attend the event as chief guest. Shah expressed condolences over deaths in the recent floods in Nepal and praised the SSB for its “commendable” response on the Indian side during the disaster.
