It was a red-letter day for 315 Border Security Force recruits.

On April 20, these recruits passed out of the training camp in Humhama on the outskirts of Srinagar.

During the passing-out parade, the recruits took the oath to protect their country.

The Indian Army and paramilitary forces like the BSF have kept insurgents on their toes and brought about some resemblance of peace to the strife-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Photograph: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/GettyImages