BSF to use chilli bombs at border

To tackle illegal activities along the border with Bangladesh, Indian Border Security Force (BSF) will now use a new type of bomb containing world's hottest chilli powder, instead of explosives, reported BBC yesterday.
The initiative has been taken to minimise the incident of border killing, and check illegal entry of smugglers and unauthorised persons, BSF officials claimed.
The BSF authorities call it “Chilli Bomb.”
There will be a thumb-size pocket containing “Bhut Jolokia” or “ghost chilli” powder inside each bomb with a tear-shell like shape. It will explode like a hand grenade and immobilise the suspect.
“Bhut Jolokia” is cultivated in Assam and Nagaland in India's north-east.
BSF officials have already started using the bomb on a trial basis.
It was first made by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Later, the BSF started manufacturing the bomb in their factories using DRDO's formula.
BSF officials claimed that they had long been working to reduce the use of deadly weapons in tackling border deaths. But in their efforts to minimise the casualty, they found that infiltrators were dying even from shots of a light weapon.
The BSF used weapons to knock suspects unconscious. But it also killed people. So they looked for alternatives of checking the illegal entry of unauthorised persons.
According to statistics of the Bangladesh government, 260 Bangladeshis have been killed by the Indian border guards since 2006.
The BSF authorities, however, claimed that the number of border deaths had declined over the years. They also hoped that the “Chilli Bomb” would help reduce the border deaths further.