Central Reserve Police Force | 23 Apr 2020

  • The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is one of the premier Central Armed Police Forces of India (under the Ministry of Home Affairs) for internal security. The other Central Armed Police Forces are as follow:
    • Assam Rifles (AR): The Assam Rifles came into being in 1835, as a militia called the ‘Cachar Levy’.
    • Border Security Force (BSF): Responsible for guarding India's land borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
    • Central Industrial Security Force (CISF): Provides security cover to nuclear installations, space establishments, airports, seaports, power plants, sensitive Government buildings and ever heritage monuments.
    • Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP): ITBP is a specialized mountain force and most of the officers and men are professionally trained mountaineers and skiers.
    • National Security Guard (NSG): The National Security Guard (NSG) is a counter terrorism unit which was raised in 1984, following Operation Blue Star.
    • Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB): Earlier Special Service Bureau was raised in 1960s with the sole objective of achieving ‘Total security preparedness’ in the remote border areas for performing a ‘stay-behind’ role in the event of a war.
  • History: Originally constituted as the Crown Representative Police in 1939, it is one of the oldest Central paramilitary forces. After Independence, the force was renamed as Central Reserve Police Force by an Act of Parliament on December 28, 1949.
  • Mission: To enable the government to maintain Rule of Law, Public Order and Internal Security effectively and efficiently, to Preserve National Integrity and Promote Social Harmony and Development by upholding supremacy of the Constitution.
  • Important Role: The force played a significant role during the amalgamation of the princely States into the Indian Union. It helped the Union Government in disciplining the rebellious princely States of Junagarh and the small principality of Kathiawar in Gujarat which had declined to join the Indian Union.
  • Duties performed by the CRPF include:
    • Crowd/ Riot control
    • Counter Militancy/Insurgency operations
    • Dealing with Left Wing Extremism
    • Protection of VIPs and vital installations
    • Checking environmental degradation and protection of local Flora and Fauna
    • Fighting aggression during War time
    • Participating in UN Peacekeeping Mission
    • Rescue and Relief operations at the time of Natural Calamities