Internal affairs, external threat

Smruti Deshpande

India has a total land border of 15,106.70 km, comprising snow-capped mountains, deserts, hills and plains which it shares with six countries: China, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh. This includes the 3,488 km line of actual control with China (China insists that the length is only 2,000 km as it does not recognise the border in Ladakh) and the 776 km line of control with Pakistan.

The peculiarity of India’s land border is that most of it is man-made. Some of it is even not adequately demarcated, making it vague and open to divergent interpretation and resulting in clashes. So while India’s geographical location has benefitted the country immensely, allowing it to forge cultural and commercial ties with the rest of the world, it also poses a security challenge, making it imperative for the security forces to maintain a constant vigil on the border.

Besides the unclear demarcation of the border in some sectors, sometimes an internal development in a country or political turmoil in the neighbourhood has sparked tension along the border. For instance in 2020, after India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a road traversing through Lipulekh to Manas Khand, a gateway to Mansarovar, Nepal’s political leadership was up in arms as their country disputes India’s claims over Lipulekh. There were even widespread protests in Nepal, leading to border tension and a massive anti-India sentiment in the Himalayan nation. Relations between the two countries were at their lowest ebb and the tension has refused to die down even to this day.

A few months after the road inauguration and the resultant turmoil, the Nepal Police fired at three Indians when they crossed over to the other side from Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit, killing one of them. While this was not directly linked to the tension between the two countries, a gunshot being fired at the India-Nepal border was unheard of until then.

Border guarding and border management are therefore of paramount importance. While border guarding entails maintaining a constant vigil, border management requires striking a balance between the use of force while exercising control and taking measures to maintain a good relationship with border residents as well as security forces across the border. This makes border guarding a multifaceted task for the security forces.

Border Challenges

Every Indian border poses a unique challenge. While illegal immigration is the primary issue along the India-Nepal border, there have been instances of militants trying to enter India from Nepal taking advantage of the porous border. The India-Nepal border also facilitates the illegal exchange of contraband, leather jackets and other day to day goods. This challenge hit its peak during the alleged blockade of Nepal by India in 2015, when even petrol from India was being smuggled. Liquor smuggling is another facet, particularly along the border in Bihar because of that state’s prohibition policy.

Although the terrain along the 699 km Indo-Bhutan border that passes through Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Prad