More Border Security Force personnel have died of heart attack and other illnesses than in action on the borders and anti-Naxal operations in the past two years, according to official data.
While men and women of India’s largest border guarding force BSF face bullets and mortars amid recent hostilities with Pakistan, data reveals that only 25 of total 774 deaths in the period between January 2015 and September 2016 were battle casualties.
Data showed that while a total of 25 personnel were killed in action, 316 died due to a variety of diseases and illnesses and 117 suffered fatal cardiac arrest, Indian media said.
Last year, former BSF Director General D K Pathak had said that about 2.5-lakh personnel strong force was witnessing a worrying trend in its ranks, as it was losing four times more troops in off-duty accidents, than at the borders or other conflict theatres in the hinterland in the recent past.
The Border Security Force is tasked to secure the two most important borders of India with Pakistan andBangladesh, besides being deployed for a variety of internal security duties including anti-Maoist operations.
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