Jammu/New Delhi: With nerves of steel and eyes locked on the enemy just 150 meters away, Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari stood her ground as the only Border Security Force (BSF) woman officer commanding a forward border outpost along the International Border (IB) during Operation Sindoor.
Stationed in the Pargwal forward area of Jammu’s Akhnoor sector, she led her unit bravely and delivered a fierce counterattack that silenced three hostile Pakistani posts across the zero line – the closest area to enemy territory.
But Neha was not standing alone. She was backed by six fearless women constables. Each of them was manning gun positions on the frontlines across the Samba-R S Pura and Akhnoor sectors. Their ‘josh’ only surged with each retaliatory round fired.
A third-generation officer from Uttarakhand, she carries a legacy of service. Her grandfather served in the Army, her parents in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and now, she stands tall in the BSF. “I feel proud to be manning a post along the IB with my troops. It is approximately 150 meters away from the Pakistani post in the Akhnoor-Pargwal area,” she told the media.
Neha did not mince words while describing her experience in battle. “It was an honour to serve at the forward post and give a fitting reply with all available weapons to enemy posts.”
She elaborated on the action-packed moments that defined the operation. “I had three posts falling in my area. I pinned down the people at all three hostile locations. We hit them with every weapon we had. They were forced to flee their posts,” he said, adding that her troops decimated the positions to ensure silence from across the border.
Even as shells flew and gunfire roared, morale stood unshaken. “The ‘josh’ was quite high. Everyone among us gave their best because everything we did was for the country and its honour,” she said with pride.
Neha’s roots in service run deep. “My grandfather served in the Army. My father was in the CRPF. My mother is in the CRPF. I am a third-generation officer in the force,” she said.
During the three days of Operation Sindoor, women proved their mettle. “I had 18 to 19 women border guards with me. To be precise, six women were engaged in direct firing at observation post locations. We are proud of them,” she added.
Her performance did not go unnoticed. BSF Inspector General Shashank Anand applauded the bravery of Neha and her fellow soldiers. “BSF women personnel played an outstanding role in this operation. Although they had the option to move to the battalion headquarters, they chose to stay at forward posts with their male counterparts. They stood at the front lines to protect the country’s sovereignty and borders and responded strongly to Pakistan,” he emphasised while hailing their courage and commitment.
Among those on the frontline was Constable Shankari Das, who coolly described their resolve, “We have our duties. Just as we are deployed at the border, we carry out our tasks as usual. Our senior commanders briefed us on the situation and warned that firing might take place. We were instructed to respond to fire with fire. So, as soon as firing started, we responded with fire.”
Constables Manjeet Kour, Milkeet Kour, Sumi, Anita and Swapna Rath also stood tall at gun positions, returning fire with precision. “We feel proud to man gun positions and retaliate. It was an honour for us,” said Manjeet.
And their retaliation was no small feat. The BSF launched a devastating counter-offensive and targeted 76 Pakistani border outposts, 42 forward defence locations (FDLs) and three terrorist launch pads. A massive damage was inflicted on 70 forward enemy posts in the offensive by the BSF.
This strong action came in response to Pakistan’s heavy shelling of 60 Indian posts and 49 forward positions, under the cover of which 40-50 terrorists attempted to infiltrate into Indian territory, officials said.