There are external and internal threats to the security of India and different specialized forces of India deal with these threats. The external threats are handled often by the Armed Forces under the Ministry of Defense, while
internal threats are managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Security Forces
> Indian Armed Force
> Central Armed Police Force
Security Forces Dealing with External Threats
The defense forces (Indian Armed Force) are the primary force responsible for the security of the country, and they come under the authority of the Ministry of Defense. Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to aid in combating external threats, but are managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Indian Armed Force
The defense forces are divided into four sub-heads.
> Indian Army Personnel.
> Indian Air Force Personnel.
> Indian Navy Personnel.
> Indian Coast Guard Personnel.
Security Forces Dealing with Internal Threats
There are many divisions of the Central Armed Police Force, which deal with internal threats.
=> Central Armed Police Force (CAPF)
There are seven Central Police Forces under the Union Government, namely
> Assam Rifles (AR)
> Border Security Force (BSF)
> Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
> Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
> Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
> National Security Guard (NSG)
> Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
=> Assam Rifles (AR)
Known as ‘Friends of the Hill People’, Assam Rifles, raised initially as Cachar Levy in 1835, is the oldest Police Force in the country with headquarters at Shillong.
The Force has a dual role in maintaining internal security in the North-Eastern region and guarding the Indo-Myanmar Border.
The Assam Rifles’ contribution towards the assimilation of the people of the North-East into the national mainstream is truly monumental.
They perform many roles including the provision of internal security under the control of the army through the conduct of counter insurgency and border security operations, provision of aid to the civil power in times of emergency, and the provision of communications, medical assistance, and education in remote areas.
Undertakes development activities in the North-East by way of construction of roads and tracks, water sup schemes, schools, community halls, playgrounds for village children, and repair/ maintenance of buildings in the remote areas.
=> Border Security Force (BSF)
The Border Security Force (BSF) is the primary Border Guarding police force of India. It was raised in the wake of the 1965 War on 1 December 1965, “for ensuring the security of the borders of India and for matters connected therewith”.
Its operational responsibility is spread over 6400 km. of the international border along Indo-Pakistan, Indo-Bangladesh borders. BSF is also deployed on LoC in J&K under the operational control of the Army.
It currently stands as the world’s largest border guarding force. BSF has been termed as the First Wall of Defence of Indian Territories.
BSF is the only Central Armed Police force to have its own Air Wing, Marine Wing, and artillery regiments, which support the General Duty Battalions in their operations. Three battalions of the BSF, located at Kolkata, Guwahati, and Patna, are designated as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
=> Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
Initially raised as Crown Representative Police on July 27, 1939, at Neemuch (MP), the Force was renamed as Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) after Independence.
The Force is presently handling a wide range of duties covering law and order, counterinsurgency, anti-militancy, and anti-terrorism operations.
The Force plays a key role in assisting States in maintaining public order and countering subversive activities of militant groups.
The Central Reserve Police Force is the largest of India’s Central Armed Police Forces.
In recent years, the Government of India has decided to use each security agency for its mandated purpose. As a result, the counter-insurgency operations in India have been mainly entrusted to the CRPF.
=> Rapid Action Force (RAF)
The Rapid Action Force (RAF) is a specialized wing of the CRPF.
It was established in 1991 with headquarters in New Delhi, to deal with riots, riot-like situations, crowd control, rescue and relief operations, and related unrest.
The personnel in RAF are trained and equipped to be an effective Strike Force in communal riots or similar situations.
These Battalions are located at 10 communally sensitive locations across the country to facilitate quick response in case of such incidents.
=> Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
Raised in the year 1969, CISF is presently providing security cover to important installations like space and atomic energy establishments, seaports, airports, coal mines, steel plants, thermal and hydel power plants, oil and petrochemicals installations, heavy industries, defense establishments, security presses, museums, and historical monuments.
The specialized task of airport security was assigned to CISF in the wake of the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane to Kandhar.
The charter of CISF has been expanded to provide security cover to VIPs as well as to provide technical consultancy services relating to security and fire protection to industries in public and private sectors.
After the Mumbai terrorist attack on November 2008, the mandate of the force has been broadened to provide direct security cover to the private sector also by amending the CISF Act.
=>Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force was raised in the wake of the India China conflict in 1962. ITBP is a mountain trained Force. Forces are called “Himveer”.
It is deployed from the north-western extremity of the Indo-China Border up to the tri-junction of India, China & Nepal covering mountainous terrains.
Presently, battalions of ITBP are deployed on border guard duties from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Diphu La in Arunachal Pradesh, on the India-China border.
ITBP plays an important role in organizing the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra besides providing assistance in disaster management in the central and western Himalayan regions. A new challenging role that has emerged for ITBP is disaster management as it is the first responder for natural disasters in the Himalayas.
ITBP conducts a large number of medical civic action programs in the remote border and terrorist affected areas to provide free and expert medical, health, and hygiene care to the civilian population in remote villages.
=>Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
Special Service Bureau [renamed Sashastra Seema Bal] was set up in early 1963 in the wake of the India China conflict of 1962 to build people’s morale and inculcate a spirit of resistance in the border population against threats of subversion, infiltration, and sabotage from across the border. It has been given the border guarding responsibilities along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan Borders.
Role and Mandate of SSB:
> As a border guarding force and lead intelligence agency (LIA) for Indo-Nepal border and Indo-Bhutan border.
> To promote a sense of security among the people living in the border area.
> To prevent trans-border crimes and unauthorized entries into or exit from the territory of India.
> To prevent smuggling and other illegal activities.
=> National Security Guard (NSG)
National Security Guard was raised in 1984, following Operation Blue Star and the assassination of Indira Gandhi, “for combating terrorist activities with a view to protecting states against internal disturbances”.
It has been modeled on the pattern of SAS of the UK and GSG-9 of Germany. It is a task-oriented Force and has two complementary elements in the form of the Special Action Group (SAG) comprising Army personnel and the Special Rangers Group (SRG) comprising personnel drawn from the Central Police/State Police Forces.
The NSG’s is trained to conduct counter-terrorist task to including counter hijacking tasks on the land, sea, and air; Bomb disposal (search, detection, and neutralization of IEDs); PBI (Post Blast Investigation) and Hostage Rescue missions. The Force is not designed to undertake the functions of the State Police Forces or other Para Military Forces of the Union of India.
Other forces/institutions:
=> National Disaster Response Force (NDRF):
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is the police force constituted “for the purpose of specialist response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster” under The Disaster Management Act, 2005.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the “apex Body for Disaster Management” in India. The Chairman of the NDMA is the Prime Minister.
NDRF in addition to being able to respond to natural disasters has Four battalions capable of responding to radiological, nuclear, biological, and chemical disasters.
Role and Mandate of NDRF:
> Specialized response during disasters
> Proactive deployment during impending disaster situations
> Liaison, Reconnaissance, Rehearsals and Mock Drills
> Impart basic and operational level training to State Response Forces (Police, Civil Defence, and Home Guards)
> Conduct Community Capacity Building Programmes and Public Awareness Campaigns
=> Home Guards
Home Guards constitute a voluntary force, first raised in India in December 1946, to assist the police in controlling civil disturbances and communal riots. Subsequently, the concept of a voluntary citizens’ force was adopted by several States.
The role of Home Guards is to serve as an auxiliary to the police in the maintenance of internal security, help the community in emergencies such as air-raids, fires, cyclones, earthquakes, epidemics, etc; assist the administration in the maintenance of essential services, promotion of communal harmony and protection of the weaker sections of society; and participate in socio-economic & welfare activities for the community and perform Civil Defence duties.
Home Guards are both rural and urban. In the Border States, Border Wing Home Guards Battalions (BWHGs) have been raised, which serve as an auxiliary to the Border Security Force.
All citizens of India, who are in the age group of 18-50 years, are eligible to become members of Home Guards. The normal tenure of membership in the organization is 3 to 5 years.
=> The National Foundation for Communal Harmony
The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH) was set up in 1992 as an autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, under the administrative control of MHA. The Foundation is providing assistance for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of the child victims of communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence, with special reference to their care, education, and training besides promoting communal harmony, fraternity and national integration.
Foundation also associates itself under the project ‘SAMANVAYA’ with important inter-community festivals like, “Phool-Walon-ki-Sair” in Delhi and the Nauchandi festival in Meerut, with a view to promoting better understanding, communal harmony, and national integration. The Foundation provides assistance to non-government organizations under the project “Co-operation” to promote the objective of the Foundation.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AND INVESTIGATIVE AGENCIES
=> National Investigative Agencies (NIA)
NIA was created after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as the need for a central agency to combat terrorism was realized. NIA acts as the Central Counter-Terrorism Law Enforcement Agency. The agency is empowered to deal with terror-related crimes across states without special permission from the states.
Various Special Courts have been notified by the Central Government of India for the trial of the cases registered at various police stations of NIA under the NIA Act 2008. The NIA Special Courts are empowered with all powers of the court of sessions under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 for the trial of any offense.
Supreme Court of India has also been empowered to transfer the cases from one special court to any other special court within or outside the state if the same is in the interest of justice in light of the prevailing circumstances in any particular state.
=> Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D)
The Bureau of Police Research & Development was set up in 1970 to identify the needs and problems of police in the country, undertake appropriate research projects and studies, and to suggest modalities to overcome the same.
It was also mandated to keep abreast of the latest developments in the fields of science and technology, both in India and abroad, with a view to promoting the use of appropriate technology in police work as a force multiplier.
Over the years, this organization was also entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the training needs and quality in various State and Central Government police institutions, assisting States in the modernization of police forces, and looking after the work relating to correctional administration and its modernization.
=> National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)
Set up in 1986, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was assigned the responsibility of crime mapping and analysis, preparing the strategy for crime control and modernization of the State police forces with the mission to empower Indian Police with information technology and criminal intelligence.
Role and Mandate:
> To prepare an enabling IT environment – policy framework, guidelines, architecture, best practices for Police Forces throughout the country
> To obtain, compile, analyze and publish the National Crime Statistics
> To obtain, process and disseminate fingerprint records of criminals including foreign criminals to establish their identity
> To interact with Foreign Police Forces to share IT practices and crime information.
=> Central Finger Print Bureau (CFPB)
The Central Finger Print Bureau came into existence in the year 1955 to trace Inter-State/ International criminals and is doing pioneering work in the automation of fingerprints at the national level by using the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).
=> Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was set up in 1986 under the administrative control of Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance to function as the nodal agency for taking necessary measures under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 for the purpose of preventing and combating abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and illicit traffic therein.
It has been brought under the Ministry of Home Affairs by a notification dated February 18, 2003.
NCB is also responsible for the implementation of the obligations under various International Conventions in respect of countermeasures against illicit traffic, providing assistance to the concerned authorities of various countries and international organizations with a view to facilitating coordination and universal action for prevention and suppression of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. It also acts as a national repository for drug-related information.
=> Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI):
DRI is the major intelligence agency that enforces the prohibition of smuggling of drugs, gold, diamonds, electronics, foreign currency, counterfeit Indian currency, etc.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence functions under the Central Board of Excise and Customs in the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue.
Role and Mandate:
> Collection of intelligence about the smuggling of contraband goods, narcotics, under-invoicing, etc. through sources of India and abroad, including secret sources.
> Analysis and dissemination of such intelligence to the field formations for action and working on such intelligence, where necessary.
> To refer cases registered under the Customs Act to the Income Tax Department for action under the Income Tax Act
=> Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI):
An executive order was passed by the Government of India in 1941, setting up the Special Police Establishment (SPE). Subsequently, the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 was brought into existence.
SPE was renamed the Central Bureau of Investigation on 1st April 1963. CBI derives power to investigate from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. Section 2 of the Act vests DSPE with jurisdiction to investigate offenses in the Union Territories only. However, the jurisdiction can be extended by the Central Government to other areas including Railway areas and States under Section 5(1) of the Act, provided the State Government accords consent under the Act.
The mandate of CBI:
> Cases in which public servants under the control of the Central Government are involved
> Cases in which the interests of the Central Government or of any public sector project or undertaking, or any statutory corporation or body set up and financed by the Government of India are involved.
> Cases relating to breaches of Central Laws with the enforcement of which the Government of India is particularly concerned.
> Other cases of a serious nature, when committed by organized gangs or professional criminals, or cases having ramifications in several States, important cases of kidnapping of children by professional inter-state gangs, etc.
> These cases are taken up only at the request of or with the concurrence of the State Governments/Union Territories Administrations concerned.
=> Intelligence Bureau (IB):
IB is India’s internal intelligence agency. It was recast as the Central Intelligence Bureau in 1947 under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The IB was trained by the Soviet KGB from the 1950s onward until the collapse of the Soviet Union. IB is used to garner intelligence from within India and also execute counterintelligence and counterterrorism Tasks.
In addition to domestic intelligence responsibilities, the IB is particularly tasked with intelligence collection in border areas, following the 1951 recommendations of the Himmat Singh Ji Committee (also known as the North and North-East Border Committee), a task entrusted to the military intelligence organizations prior to independence in 1947.
All spheres of human activity within India and in the neighborhood are allocated to the charter of duties of the Intelligence Bureau. The IB was also tasked with other external intelligence responsibilities as of 1951 until 1968 when the Research and Analysis Wing was formed.
=> Research and Analysis Wing (RAW):
RAW is the primary foreign intelligence agency of India. It was established in 1968 following the intelligence failures of the Sino-Indian and Indo-Pakistani wars, which persuaded the Government of India to create a specialized, independent agency dedicated to foreign intelligence gathering. Previously, both domestic and foreign intelligence had been the purview of the Intelligence Bureau.
The primary function of RAW is gathering foreign intelligence and counterterrorism. In addition, it is responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and persons to advise Indian policymakers. It is also involved in the security of India’s nuclear program.
The present RAW objectives include, and are not limited to:
> Monitoring the political, military, economic and scientific developments in countries that have a direct bearing on India’s national security and the formulation of its foreign policy.
> Moulding international public opinion and influence foreign governments with the help of the strong and vibrant Indian diaspora.
> Covert Operations to safeguard India’s National interests.
> Anti-Terror Operations and neutralizing terror elements posing a threat to India.
=> The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID):
NATGRID is the integrated intelligence grid connecting databases of core security agencies of the Government of India to collect comprehensive patterns of intelligence that can be readily accessed by intelligence agencies. It was first proposed in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008.
NATGRID is an intelligence-sharing network that collates data from the standalone databases of the various agencies and ministries of the Indian government. It is a counter-terrorism measure that collects and collates a host of information from government databases including tax and bank account details, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records, and itineraries of rail and air travel.
This combined data will be made available to 11 central agencies.
Railway Protection Force (RPF)
RPF is a security force of India entrusted with protecting railway passengers, passenger area, and property of the Indian Railways. This is the only Central Armed Police Force that has the power to arrest, investigate, and prosecute criminals.
Conclusion:
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has multifarious responsibilities, important among them being internal security, management of para-military forces, border management, Centre-State relations, administration of Union Territories, disaster management, etc.
Article 355 of the Constitution enjoins the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the Government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
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