New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra
Modi on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
opposing Centre's proposed move of amending Border Security
Force Act, 1968 to give wide powers to the paramilitary force
to arrest and search anybody in any part of the country.
In his letter, Modi objected to the unwarranted move,
especially when the chief ministers of different states are
meeting in New Delhi on April 16, a state government release
said here.
He dubbed the move to give arrest powers to BSF as yet
another systematic move to "create a state within state" or a
"second state", it said.
Modi had earlier sent letters to the prime minister
opposing the Centre's move to create NCTC and giving wider
powers to Railway Protection Force.
He said BSF has been created to "guard our international
borders with powers under Criminal Procedure Code to arrest
offenders in border areas and investigate".
As per the existing provisions, he said, services of
Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces are requisitioned to
assist the civil authorities during natural calamities and
other emergencies to maintain law and order.
BSF, which is at present deployed for anti-Naxal
operations, had sought an amendment to the act so that it
could also arrest people within the country especially in
Maoist-hit states.
At present, the BSF has arrest and seizure powers limited
to the border areas.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, April 14, 2012, 20:04