The Border Security Force (BSF) will play a pivotal role in the anti-naxalism operations in the country, said Director General of BSF, Raman Srivastva, on Monday. He said the BSF was inducting 29 new battalions and of the total, 16 would be re-enforced in the border areas while the rest would be used as reserve for the naxal-hit states.

“The BSF would take the responsibility to fight such groups along with the other central forces,” said the DG who visited the border areas here.

Srivastav, accompanied by senior BSF officials including IG Himmat Singh, DIG Mohammed Acquil and Commandant B S Dhillon, said a high-level team of senior most officials from the Home Ministry would visit the border areas here from October 12 to October 14 for on the spot surveys and studies to check rising drug smuggling, inflow of fake currency and infiltration bids from across the border.

On the recent rocket attacks on Punjab villages from Pakistan side, he said they have lodged a strong protest with Pakistan to check the forces behind the attacks. He also warned that if such attacks were repeated, the BSF would will retaliate. He said the security of the thousands of spectators visiting to watch the Retreat Ceremony was being beefed up. He also listed a number of schemes for the welfare of the BSF jawans.