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Paramilitary forces of India

{{Short description|Auxiliary Forces of India}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}

{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}

Paramilitary Forces of India refer to a group of armed organizations responsible for supporting the Indian military and ensuring internal security. The primary paramilitary forces include the officially designated Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), which comprise seven forces: the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), National Security Guard (NSG), and Assam Rifles. These forces operate across various domains such as border security, counter-insurgency, VIP protection, and industrial security.Ministry of Home Affairs. [https://www.mha.gov.in/en/division_of_mha/capf Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)]. Government of India. Retrieved 21 April 2025.

In addition to the CAPFs, India also maintains other central paramilitary and security forces including the Railway Protection Force (RPF), responsible for railway security; the Special Protection Group (SPG), which provides security to the Prime Minister and former Prime Ministers; and the Indian Coast Guard, which safeguards the nation's maritime borders and enforces maritime law.

Together, these forces constitute a critical component of India's national security framework, complementing the armed forces and the state police in maintaining law and order.{{cite journal |title=Chapter Six: Asia |pages=205–302 |journal=The Military Balance |volume=112 |number=1 |author1=IISS |author1-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies |date=2012 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |doi=10.1080/04597222.2012.663215 |s2cid=219626887}}

List of paramilitary forces

From 1986 to 2011 the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were considered as Central Police Organisations (CPOs).{{cite web |title=Office Memorandum |url=http://www.mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/OM2-020513.pdf |website=MHA |publisher=MHA, GoI |access-date=26 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117183848/http://www.mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/OM2-020513.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2016 |df=dmy-all}} However, as per their respective acts they all are Armed Police Forces.{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/for-the-paramilitary-all-s-in-a-new-name/cid/415027 |title=For the paramilitary, all's in a new name. |website=The Telegraphy |first=Nishit |last=Dholabhai |date=26 March 2011}}

The paramilitary forces are made up of:

class="wikitable"
style="align: center" colspan="5" | Paramilitary Forces
Paramilitary force

!Active Strength

!Governing Body

!Operational area

!Role

26px Assam Rifles

| 63,747{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/EnglAnnualReport2016-17_17042017.pdf |title=Annual Report 2016-17 |access-date=12 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808200948/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/EnglAnnualReport2016-17_17042017.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2017 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India}}

| Ministry of Home Affairs (administrative)
Ministry of Defence (operational){{cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-assam-rifles-dual-control-structure-role-nagaland-violence-7658329/ |title=Explained: Assam Rifles' dual control structure, and its role |work=The Indian Express |first=Deeptiman |last=Tiwary |date=7 December 2021}}

| Northeast India, India–Myanmar border

| Border guard

26x26px Border Security Force

| 257,363

| rowspan="6" | Ministry of Home Affairs

| India–Pakistan border and India–Bangladesh border{{cite web |url=http://bsf.nic.in/en/introduction.html |title=Introduction |publisher=Border Security Force |website=bsf.nic.in |access-date=9 December 2019}}

| Border guard

26px Central Industrial Security Force

| 144,418

| Industries, public sector undertakings, space installations, airports, seaports and Delhi Metro

| Protection and security of operational areas

26px Central Reserve Police Force

| 313,678

| All India Force

| Counter-insurgency and general elections

26px Indo-Tibetan Border Police

| 89,432

| India–China border{{Cite web |url=http://itbpolice.nic.in/itbpwebsite/Aboutus_new/history&role/htmnav.html |title=Home | Indo Tibetan Border Police, Ministry of Home Affairs |website=itbpolice.nic.in |access-date=9 December 2019}}

| Border guard

26px National Security Guard

| 10,000

| Active Special operations in India

| Counter-terrorism

26px Sashastra Seema Bal

| 97,244{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7VNAzQEACAAJ |title=The Military Balance 2020 |last=(Iiss) |first=The International Institute of Strategic Studies |date=14 February 2020 |publisher=Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Incorporated |isbn=9780367466398 |language=en |via=Google Books}}

| India–Nepal border and India–Bhutan border{{cite web |url=https://ssb.nic.in/index1.aspx?lsid=38&lev=2&lid=10&langid=1&Cid=0 |title=Role- SSB Ministry Of Home Affairs, Govt. Of India |website=ssb.nic.in |access-date=9 December 2019}}

| Border guard

26px Railway Protection Force

| 76,563

| Ministry of Railways

| Indian Railways

| Protection and security of operational areas

26px Special Frontier Force

| 10,000

| rowspan="2" | Cabinet Secretariat{{cite web |last1=Chhina |first1=Man Aman Singh |last2=Kaushik |first2=Krishn |date=2 September 2020 |title=Explained: What is the Special Frontier Force, referred to as Vikas Battalion? |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-special-frontier-force-vikas-battalion-6578568/ |access-date=2 September 2020 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}

|

| Covert operations

26px Special Protection Group

| 3,000

| Security of Prime Minister of India

| Executive Protection

Total

!1,065,445

!

!

!

Ranks and insignia

;Officers

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{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armed Forces/OF/Blank}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (Assam Rifles)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (BSF)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (CISF)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (CRPF)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (ITBP)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (NSG)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (RPF)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (Sashastra Seema Bal)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OF/India (Special Frontier Force)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armed Forces/OF/Blank}}

;Personnel below officer rank

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style="background:#ccc;"

{{Ranks and Insignia of Indian forces/OR/Blank}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (Assam Rifles)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (BSF)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (CISF)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (CRPF)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (ITBP)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (NSG)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (RPF)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (Sashastra Seema Bal)}}

{{Ranks and Insignia of Non NATO Armies/OR/India (Special Frontier Force)}}

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{{Ranks and Insignia of Indian forces/OR/Blank}}

See also

Notes

{{Reflist|group="note"}}

References

{{reflist|2}}

Further reading

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20090217111800/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=2&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26 India's Paramilitary Forces @ Bharat-Rakshak.Com]

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20030213140909/http://www.assamrifles.com/ Assam Rifles official site]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20091212202228/http://www.indiadefence.com/PMF.htm Analysis of the PMF]
  • [http://www.photius.com/countries/india/national_security/india_national_security_paramilitary_and_res~8898.html An informative article on the PMF]
  • [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/bsf.htm Global Security article on Border Security Force]

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{{Law enforcement in India}}

{{Military of India}}

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Category:Ministry of Defence (India)