View source for Paramilitary forces of India

{{Short description|Auxiliary Forces of India}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
'''[[Paramilitary Forces]] of India''' refer to a group of 10 armed organisations responsible for supporting the Indian military and ensuring internal security.<ref name="IISS 2012">{{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}}</ref>

== List of paramilitary forces ==
From 1986 to 2011 the [[Central Armed Police Forces]] (CAPF) were considered as Central Police Organisations (CPOs).<ref name="Memorandum">{{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}}</ref> However, as per their respective acts they all are Armed Police Forces.<ref name="Memorandum"/><ref>{{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 Telegraph (India)|The Telegraphy]] |first=Nishit |last=Dholabhai |date=26 March 2011}}</ref>

The paramilitary forces are made up of:<ref name="IISS 2012"/>
* '''[[Central Armed Police Forces]]'''<ref name=StandingCommitteeReport>{{cite book |author=Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs |title=Working conditions in Border Guarding Forces Sashastra Seema Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Border Security Force) |date=12 December 2018 |publisher=[[Rajya Sabha]] |page=1 |url=https://sansad.in/getFile/rsnew/Committee_site/Committee_File/ReportFile/15/107/214_2019_11_11.pdf?source=rajyasabha |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>
** Border Guarding Forces
*** [[Assam Rifles]] (AR)
*** [[Border Security Force]] (BSF)
*** [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]] (ITBP)
*** [[Sashastra Seema Bal]] (SSB)
** Special Task Force
*** [[National Security Guard]] (NSG)
** Forces for Internal Security
*** [[Central Industrial Security Force]] (CISF)
*** [[Central Reserve Police Force]] (CRPF)
* '''[[Railway Protection Force]]''' (RPF)
* '''[[Special Frontier Force]]''' (SFF)
* '''[[Special Protection Group]]''' (SPG)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="align: center" colspan="5" | Paramilitary Forces<ref name="IISS 2012"/>
|-
!Paramilitary force
!Active Strength
!Governing Body
!Operational area
!Role
|-
| {{flagicon image|Assam Rifles Flag.svg}} [[Assam Rifles]]
| 63,747<ref name="Annual Report 16-17">{{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 (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]], Government of India}}</ref>
| [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]] (administrative)<br />[[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]] (operational)<ref>{{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}}</ref>
| [[Northeast India]], [[India–Myanmar border]]
| [[Border guard]]
|-
| {{flagicon image|BSF Flag.svg}} [[Border Security Force]]
| 257,363<ref name="Annual Report 16-17"/>
| rowspan="6" | [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]]
| [[India–Pakistan border]] and [[Bangladesh–India border|India–Bangladesh border]]<ref>{{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}}</ref>
| Border guard
|-
|{{flagicon image|CISF Flag.svg}} [[Central Industrial Security Force]]
| 144,418<ref name="Annual Report 16-17"/>
| [[Industry in India|Industries]], [[Public sector undertakings in India|public sector undertakings]], [[Indian Space Research Organisation|space installations]], [[Airports in India|airports]], [[Ports in India|seaports]] and [[Delhi Metro]]
| Protection and security of operational areas
|-
| {{flagicon image|Flag of Central Reserve Police Forces.png}} [[Central Reserve Police Force]]
| 313,678<ref name="Annual Report 16-17"/>
| All India Force 
| [[Counter-insurgency]] and [[Elections in India|general elections]] 
|-
| {{flagicon image|ITBP Flag.svg}} [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]]
| 89,432<ref name="Annual Report 16-17"/>
| [[Line of Actual Control|India–China border]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://itbpolice.nic.in/itbpwebsite/Aboutus_new/history&role/htmnav.html |title=Home &#124; Indo Tibetan Border Police, Ministry of Home Affairs |website=itbpolice.nic.in |access-date=9 December 2019}}</ref>
| Border guard
|-
| {{flagicon image|NSG Flag.svg}} [[National Security Guard]]
| 10,000
| Active Special operations in India 
| [[Counter-terrorism]]
|-
| {{flagicon image|Sashastra Seema Bal Flag.svg}} [[Sashastra Seema Bal]]
| 97,244<ref name=":0">{{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]]}}</ref>
| [[India–Nepal border]] and [[Bhutan–India border|India–Bhutan border]]<ref>{{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}}</ref>
| Border guard
|-
| [[File:Logo of RPF.jpg|25px]] [[Railway Protection Force]]
| 76,563
| [[Ministry of Railways (India)|Ministry of Railways]]
| [[Indian Railways]]
| Protection and security of operational areas
|-
| [[File:SFF LOGO.svg|25px]] [[Special Frontier Force]]
| 10,000<ref name=":0"/>
| rowspan="2" | [[Cabinet Secretariat of India|Cabinet Secretariat]]<ref name="Chhina and Kaushik">{{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}}</ref>
| 
| [[Covert operation]]s
|-
|{{flagicon image|SPG Flag.svg}} [[Special Protection Group]]
| 3,000<ref name=":0"/>
| Security of [[Prime Minister of India]] 
| [[Executive Protection]]
|-
!Total
!'''1,065,445'''
!
!
!
|}

== Ranks and insignia ==
;Officers
{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
{{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
{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background-color:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin: 0px 12px 12px 0px;"
|- 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)}}
|- style="background:#ccc;"
{{Ranks and Insignia of Indian forces/OR/Blank}}
|}

== See also ==
* [[Indian Armed Forces]]
* [[Central Armed Police Forces]]
* [[State Armed Police Forces]]
* [[Special forces of India]]

== 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]

{{India topics}}
{{Law enforcement in India}}
{{Military of India}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Law Enforcement In India}}
[[Category:Paramilitary forces of India| ]]
[[Category:Ministry of Defence (India)]]