The fencing was erected by India to curb militants from entering Punjab from the Pakistan side.

Farmers are allowed to go beyond the fence only for a few hours every day (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) to cultivate their land after strict checking.

The BSF had over the years been facing problems in frisking women accompanying farmers across the fence. Frisking is essential as a lot of smuggling, particularly of drugs, takes place at the border, BSF officials said.

So far the BSF had been taking the help of village headmen to send women near the fence gates to frisk other women going beyond the fence.

BSF's Punjab frontier Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Jagir Singh said that the women recruits will not only man border gates but will also be involved in other activities, including facilitating spectators at the Attari border during the daily retreat ceremony for closure of border gates and also to handle those crossing the border from the check-post.

Nearly 25,000 people assemble on the Indian side of the border to witness the ceremony conducted by the BSF and their counterparts, the Pakistan Rangers, at sunset. The Attari border is about 30 km from Amritsar city.

Over 8,500 women had applied for the 685 posts of women guards with the BSF in June last year. Out of these, nearly 2,500 were short-listed and underwent physical tests, screening and medical examination before being selected.

'Both my parents are in the police. The job with the BSF should be interesting,' recruit Kiranbir Kaur had said after being selected.

The recruits were trained in weapons and explosives handling, physical training, drill, map reading, field craft, border management and given knowledge about all major laws including the Indian Penal Code (IPC), customs, passport and immigration.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)