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Central Armed Police Forces (India)

Last modified: 2023-08-05 by ian macdonald
Keywords: india | central armed police forces |
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Central Armed Police Forces

The Central Armed Police Forces, CAPF, is the collective name of central police organisations in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). These are technically paramilitary forces, formerly known as Central Para-Military Forces (CPMF) (1986-2011). Since March 18, 2011, India adopted a new nomenclature to drop the word "paramilitary" in the following context: "the terms Central Police Organisations (CPOs), Central Para Military Police Forces (CPMFs), Para Military Forces (PMFs) (and) Central Police Forces (CPFs), etc. have been interchangeably used while referring to the Central Police Forces, which are the "Armed Forces of the Union" creating confusion ("Union" meaning a "union territory", a type of administrative division in the Republic of India).

Unlike the states of India, which have their own governments, union territories are federal territories governed, in part or in whole, by the Government of India, GoI, also known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, consisting of 28 union states and eight union territories. These forces are responsible for internal security and guarding the borders.

However, as per their respective acts they all are Armed Police Forces. Technically, the paramilitary forces of India are the Assam Rifles, the Special Frontier Force and the Indian Coast Guard. The Assam Rifles is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the operational control of the Ministry of Defence

Assam Rifles is headed by a Director General of the rank of Lieutenant General of the Indian Army. While the Special Frontier Force is under the administrative control of Cabinet Secretariat. The Indian Coast Guard is under administrative control of the Ministry of Defence. The remaining forces are the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, SSB and NSG, which are technically armed police forces under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, collectively known as the Central Armed Police Forces.

CAPF is further classified into three:
1. Border Guarding Forces
- Assam Rifles, AR) (official website: https://assamrifles.gov.in)
- Border Security Force, BSF) (official website: http://bsf.nic.in)
- Indo-Tibetan Border Police, ITBP
- Sashastra Seema Bal, SSB, English: Armed Border Force) (official website: https://ssb.nic.in)

2. Forces for Internal Security
- Central Industrial Security Force, CISF (official website: https://www.cisf.gov.in)
- Central Reserve Police Force, CRPF) (official website: https://www.crpf.gov.in)

3. Special Task Force
- National Security Guard, NSG (official website: http://nsg.gov.in)

Sources: http://mha.nic.in/armedforces ,
https://www.mha.gov.in/about-us/central-armed-police-forces
http://www.indiadefence.com/PMF.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_India
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramilitary_forces_of_India
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Armed_Police_Forces
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_India
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_territory
 
Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Assam Rifles

[Assam Rifles] from https://en.wikipedia.org
based on image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Assam Rifles is a force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. It guards the Indo–Myanmar border, established in 1835.
Sources: https://assamrifles.gov.in/newwindow.html?2030  and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assam_Rifles

The flag is a horizontal background with five equal horizontal stripes (top to bottom: green, black, red, black, green) with the emblem in the middle.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/ARSentinelsofNE/

For additional information go to Assam Rifles (official website): https://assamrifles.gov.in/

Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Ceremonial Flag

[Assam Rifles] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Detail of emblems

[Assam Rifles]     [Assam Rifles] images located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Sources: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Assam_Rifles_LOGO.svg
https://www.assamrifles.gov.in/english/IMAGES/184.png

Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Border Security Force

[Border Security Force] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
Source: https://i0.wp.com/www.navyugsandesh.com

The Border Security Force, BSF is a Border Guarding Force of India. Established on December 1, 1965, it is a paramilitary force charged with guarding India's land border during peacetime and preventing transnational crime. It is a Union Government Agency under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs. It is one of many law enforcement agencies of India. It currently stands as the world's largest border guarding force.
Sources http://bsf.nic.in/ , http://bsf.nic.in/en/introduction.html
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Security_Force

The flag is a horizontally equally divided flag, the top stripe red and the bottom stripe dark blue with the logo in the middle. Both versions are in use: in Hindi and English.

The emblem features on top the country's Emblem and below the initials BSF and below the motto "duty unto death".

For additional information go to BSF (official website): http://bsf.nic.in/

Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Flag and logo in Hindi

[Border Security Force]   [Border Security Force] images located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Sources: https://pragativadi.com and https://m.facebook.com/HanumanBeniwalOfficial

Flag and logo in English

[Border Security Force]   [Border Security Force]images located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Sources:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/BSF_Insignia.svg
https://anshul.netgen.work/storage/app/media/nnb42.jpg 

Flag with English logo and inscription

[Border Security Force] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Source: https://pragativadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/WhatsApp-Image-2022-01-24-at-6.57.56-PM.jpeg

Indo-Tibetan Border Police

[Indo Tibetan Border Police] image by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
based on photo

Indo-Tibetan Border Police, ITBP) is a border guarding force of India deployed along its borders with Tibet Autonomous Region, established on October 24, 1962.
Source: http://itbpolice.nic.in/itbpwebsite/Aboutus_new/history&role/history&role.html

The flag is a horizontal green background with the logo in the middle.

For additional information go to ITBPolice (official website): https://itbpolice.nic.in/

Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Ceremonial Flag

[Indo Tibetan Border Police] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Source: https://images.news18.com/ibnkhabar/uploads/2023/02/Sarkari-Naukri-2023-ITBP-Recruitment-2023.jpg
Photo: https://images.news18.com/ibnkhabar/uploads/2023/02/Sarkari-Naukri-2023-ITBP-Recruitment-2023.jpg (archived here)

Badge

[Indo Tibetan Border Police] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Source: http://itbpolice.nic.in/itbpwebsite/images_website_new/itbp_logo.jpg

Armed Border Force (Sashastra Seema Bal)

[Armed Border Force] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
based on photo

Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sashastra_Seema_Bal_Flag.svg

Sashastra Seema Bal, SSB, English: Armed Border Force, is a border guarding force deployed along its borders with Nepal and Bhutan established on December 20, 1963.
Sources: https://ssb.nic.in/index1.aspx?lsid=39&lev=2&lid=11&langid=1&Cid=0
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sashastra_Seema_Bal

Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Badge

[Armed Border Force] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Sashastra_Seema_Bal.svg/1200px-Sashastra_Seema_Bal.svg.png

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

[Central Industrial Security Force ] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
based on photo

Sources: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
https://www.firstindia.co.in/public/news/May2023/1683269839amit%20shah%20(22).jpg

Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Badge

 

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/CISF_LOGO.svg

[Central Industrial Security Force] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Central Reserve Police Force

[Central Reserve Police Force] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
based on photo

The Central Reserve Police Force, CRPF, is a reserve gendarmerie and internal combat force in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter-insurgency. It is composed of Central Reserve Police Force (Regular) and Central Reserve Police Force (Auxiliary).

It came into existence as the Crown Representative's Police on July 27, 1939. After Indian independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on the enactment of the CRPF Act on December 28, 1949. Besides law and order and counter-insurgency duties, the CRPF has played an increasingly large role in India's general elections.

It is the country's largest central armed police force.

Sources: https://www.crpf.gov.in
http://www.crpf.gov.in/role-of-crpf.htm
http://crpf.nic.in/crp_b.htm
http://www.crpf.gov.in/history-crpf.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Reserve_Police_Force

The flag is a horizontal light blue background with the emblem in the middle.

For additional information go to CRPF (official website): https://www.crpf.gov.in/a>

Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Badge

[Central Reserve Police Force] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/hi/3/3c/Central_Reserve_Police_Force_emblem.svg

Old badge

[Central Reserve Police Force] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
Source: https://crpf.gov.in/writereaddata/images/HistoryofCrpf/pic2.jpg

National Security Guard

[National Security Guard] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
based on photo and photo

National Security Guard, NSG) is a 'Federal Contingency Deployment Force' to tackle all facets of terrorism in the country. As a specialised counter-terrorism force, it is intended to be used "only in exceptional situations" and is not meant to take over the "functions of the State Police Forces or other Para Military Forces"established on October 16, 1984.
Sources: https://www.nsg.gov.in/about-us/history-nsg
https://www.nsg.gov.in/about-us/about-nsg
https://thecybercops.com/national-security-guard-nsg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Guard

The flag is a horizontal black background with the emblem in the middle.

For additional information go to CRPF (official website): https://www.crpf.gov.in

Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023

Badge

[National Security Guard] image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 July 2023
Source: https://thecybercops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NSG_Logo.png