Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], October 14 (ANI): Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday held a protest against the Centre's decision to extend the area under the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Punjab.

Sukhbir Singh along with other party leaders protested outside Raj Bhawan in Chandighar.

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Earlier on Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi condemned the Centre's decision and said that it is a "direct attack on federalism".

On Wednesday, Former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar also claimed that the move "castigated" the Punjab Police.

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"Be careful what you ask for! Has Charanjit Singh Channi unwittingly managed to hand over half of Punjab to the Central govt. 25000sq km (out of a total of 50,000sq km) has now been placed under BSF jurisdiction. Punjab Police stands castigated. Do we still want more autonomy to States?" Jakhar tweeted.

Union Home Ministry on Wednesday extended the area states of West Bengal, Punjab and Assam, under the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF), giving the paramilitary personnel powers of arrest, search and seizure, on par with state police.

Centre said the move was aimed at maintaining "zero tolerance" against terrorism and cross border crimes, and empowered the BSF to conduct searches, arrest suspects and make seizures up to an area of 50 km inside Indian territory from the International Border (IB) along the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders.

As per the fresh order, the BSF, which was only empowered to take action up to fifteen kilometers in the states of Punjab, West Bengal, and Assam, has now been authorised to spread its jurisdiction up to 50 km without any hurdle or further permission either from central or state governments. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)