Bista Raises Alarm Over Proposed Merger of EFR Battalions, Urges Urgent State Intervention

KalimNews, November 24, 2025, Kalimpong: Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has expressed grave concern over the proposed merger of three battalions of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) into two, following a notification issued by the Office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (AP), EFR Salua, on 12 October 2025 (Memo No. 592/F-7/Merge/25). He warned that the move appears to be part of a larger attempt by the West Bengal government to gradually erode the EFR—an institution largely staffed by youths from the Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars.

Bista, who had earlier raised the matter with the Hon’ble Governor and the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s Office in 2020 through communications numbered DARJ/GN/500 and DARJ/GN/498 dated 5 August 2020, called once again for immediate intervention to halt the planned merger. He said that instead of dismantling units, the government should focus on reviving, modernising and strengthening what he described as a prestigious and historically significant force.

Established in its current form in 1920, the Eastern Frontier Rifles possesses a legacy that stretches back to the eighteenth century. Originally founded by the East India Company as the “Frontier Protection Force”, it underwent several reorganisations and name changes over the centuries. In 1795, it became the Ramgarh Local Battalion; in 1861, the Frontier Guards; and in 1891 it was modernised and renamed the Bengal Military Police. It finally adopted the name Eastern Frontier Rifles in 1920, a title it retains in West Bengal even today.

The EFR and its predecessor units have participated in major global and national conflicts. The Bengal Military Police fought in the First World War, while during the Second World War the force saw action in multiple theatres, particularly in Burma. After independence, the force was divided between India and East Pakistan in 1947. The segment in East Pakistan eventually became the Bangladesh Rifles—now known as the Border Guards Bangladesh—while the West Bengal contingent continued as the Eastern Frontier Rifles.

Throughout independent India’s history, the EFR has played a crucial role in internal security and border management. The force was involved in boundary skirmishes with Pakistan in the 1950s, deployed for internal peacekeeping during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, and was active during the 1965 India–Pakistan War and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Before the creation of the Border Security Force (BSF), the EFR also served as a key border-security agency. Over the decades, it has responded to communal disturbances, insurgencies in the Northeast, anti-Maoist operations, natural disasters and various programmes aimed at fostering peace and harmony.

Many of its personnel have been decorated for bravery and meritorious service, with awards including the pre-Independence title of “Sardar Bahadur” and the Indian Police Medal. The EFR has also produced distinguished athletes, among them Shri Bir Bahadur Chhetri, who represented India in the Olympic hockey tournaments of 1976 and 1980.

Despite this illustrious past, Bista argued that the current state of the EFR is a matter of urgent concern. He highlighted that no fresh recruitment has taken place since 2010, leaving more than 2,000 vacancies for Riflemen unfilled. Instead of replenishing the force, the proposed merger of battalions, he said, would undermine morale, operational capability and the very identity of the institution. Describing the move as unilateral and taken without consulting serving jawans, their families or their officers, he called it a “serious injustice” to the personnel who have devoted their lives to safeguarding the nation.

Bista urged leaders from the Hills who claim proximity to the state government to raise the issue directly with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He emphasised that the EFR has traditionally served as an important avenue of employment for young people from the region—an opportunity he fears may now be shrinking. Calling for urgent intervention from both the Hon’ble Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose and the Hon’ble Chief Minister, he appealed for the proposed merger to be halted and for decisive steps to be taken to revitalise the force. “By doing so,” he said, “we honour the sacrifices of our soldiers and safeguard more than a century of exemplary service to the nation.”