Shillong: The BSF (Border Security Force) has admitted that its rank and file are overstressed for which it has introduced stress management courses in its training programme.

Asked to comment on reports of depressed BSF personnel killing themselves or their colleagues, BSF director general Ajai Raj Sharma said, "Yes, we are overstressed. This (factor) is bothering all of us in the force."

To tackle the situation, he said, stress management course was introduced in its three premier institutes for both the jawans and officers and all the battalions would have to undergo this exercise.

The DG, who was on a two-day visit to the Assam, Meghalaya Manipur and Nagaland frontier headquartered in Shillong, said fortunately there was no such incident (of BSF man killing himself or others) reported from this frontier.

Sharma said when the force was raised 39 years ago, its original function was only guarding the borders. But gradually, it was used extensively in counter-insurgency operations and internal security duties.

Over the years, the BSF had killed at least 4500 militants and anti-social elements and arrested 11,000 miscreants, the DG said.

The BSF had earned 900 National Awards including the President's Colour in 1984, he said.

In 2004, 54 BSF personnel had laid down their lives in action while 200 militants and anti-nationals were killed. The figure of contraband seizures would be touching Rs 100 crore by the end of the year, he said.