| Central Armed Police Forces | |
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| Agency overview | |
| Annual budget | ₹114,127.15crore (US$13 billion)(2025–26)[1] |
| Legal personality | Government organisations |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | India |
| Governing body | Government of India |
| Specialist jurisdictions |
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| Operational structure | |
| Elected officer responsible | |
| Parent agency | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Child agencies | |
| Website | |
| mha.gov.in/central-armed-police-forces | |
TheCentral Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are a group of seven armed police units under theMinistry of Home Affairs (MHA),Government of India, tasked with maintaininginternal security, law and order,counterinsurgency, andprotecting borders.[2] Previously referred to as "paramilitary" forces, the term was officially discontinued in 2011.[3]
The CAPF is classified into three groups: Border Guarding Forces (Assam Rifles,Border Security Force,Indo-Tibetan Border Police, andSashastra Seema Bal), Forces for Internal Security (Central Industrial Security Force andCentral Reserve Police Force), and Special Task Force (National Security Guard).[4] While the Assam Rifles is administratively under the MHA and part of the CAPF, its operational control is handled by theIndian Army.[5] These forces are categorized under the "other armed forces" in theUnion List of theConstitution of India and function in accordance withArticle 355, which mandates theUnion to protectstates against "external aggression" and "internal disturbances". Since "police" and "public order" fall under theState List, CAPF units are deployed to support state governments as required, while their powers, jurisdiction, privileges, and liabilities remain under the control of the Union government as specified in the Union List.[6]
| Indian Armed Forces of the  Government of India |
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 India portal |
CAPF were formerly known asCentral Para-Military Forces (CPMF), also variously referred to by Central Police Organisations (CPOs), Para-Military Forces (PMF), and Central Police Forces (CPF) interchangeably. In 2011, theGovernment of India released a circular adopting a uniform nomenclature to change the name of the forces to Central Armed Police Forces under theMinistry of Home Affairs. Initially, only five forces—BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB were covered under the new nomenclature, since AR was under the operational control of the Indian Army, and NSG personnel were completely deputed from the Indian Army and other CAPFs.
The name change was made for political reasons, to improve the international impression of the force, since in some countries the paramilitary refers to militant groups.[7][8][9] Currently, all the seven forces are listed under the CAPF definition by the Ministry.[10]
Central Armed Police Forces are organised with the primary role of border guarding for AR, BSF, ITBP, SSB; Security of sensitive establishments by CISF, Assisting Police to tackle Law & Order, Counter-Terrorist Operations, Counter-Naxal Operations by CRPF,NSG. Apart from the primary role, all CAPFs are involved in assisting the Police in Law & Order situations and also the Army in Counter-Terrorist Operations. BSF, ITBP, and CRPF have assisted the army during external aggression in the past. CAPFs work along with bothIndian Army & Police in different roles assigned to them.
Central Armed Police Forces personnel also serve in various important organisations such asResearch and Analysis Wing (RAW),Special Protection Group (SPG),National Investigation Agency (NIA),Intelligence Bureau (IB),Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),National Disaster Response Force (NDRF),Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), State Armed Police Force (Jharkhand Jaguars,Bihar Military Police, UP/MP STF, DRG, IRB, Chattishgarh Armed Police etc.) on deputation and have attachment/training in various levels/formations/courses along with theIndian Army. Their role and performance, therefore, assume a great significance due to the special features of an emergency force that is pressed in aid of the civil power to perform multiple roles in extremely difficult situations.
TheAssam Rifles is acentral police andparamilitary organisation responsible forborder security,counter-insurgency, andlaw and order inNortheast India. Its primary role is to guard the 1,643-kilometre-longIndo-Myanmar border. The AR comes under the administration of theMinistry of Home Affairs (MHA), while its operational control is maintained by theIndian Army.[5] It is the oldest paramilitary force in India.
The primary role of theBorder Security Force is to guard theIndo-Pakistan andIndo-Bangladesh borders; it is deployed both on the international border and theLOC. The BSF also has active roles during times of war. It has 292,000 personnel in 192 battalions.[11] The 1, 2 and 7 battalion ofNDRF are requisitioned fromBSF. It is also known for being the largest dedicated border guarding force in the world.
One of the largest industrial security forces in the world, theCentral Industrial Security Force provides security to variousPublic Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and other critical infrastructure installations,major airports across the country and provides security duringelections and otherinternal security duties andVVIP protection. It has a total strength of about 160,500 personnel in 132 battalions[12], including 12 reserve battalions.
TheCentral Reserve Police Force is the largest of the Central Armed Police Forces units with 313,678 personnel in 247 battalions.[12] The Central Reserve Police includes:
TheIndo-Tibetan Border Police is deployed for guarding duties on theIndo-China border fromKarakoram Pass inLadakh toDiphu Pass inArunachal Pradesh covering a total distance of 3,488  km.[14] It has 89,432 personnel in 56 fighting battalions, 2 DM and 4 specialised battalions.[15][12]
TheNational Security Guard (NSG), commonly known as Black Cats, is acounter-terrorism unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was founded on 16 October 1984 under the National Security Guard Act, 1986. All personnel are deputed from other CAPFs and the Indian Army.
The objective of theSashastra Seema Bal (English:Armed Border Force) is to guard theIndo-Nepal andIndo-Bhutan borders. It has 76,337 personnel and 73 battalions, as well as some reserve battalions.[16][12][17]
On 5 February 2019, theSupreme Court of India ruled that five CAPFs would be granted Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU),[18] and the status of Organised Group ‘A’ Services (OGAS), ending a nearly decade-long battle for the central armed police. In the judgment byRohinton Fali Nariman and M. R. Shah, the court said that officers from BSF, CRPF, SSB, ITBP, and CISF should be granted the NFFU and will be considered as Organised Group A Central Services.[19][20]
In July 2019, theUnion Cabinet granted[21][22] Organised Group 'A' Service (OGAS) status to Group 'A' executive cadre officers of five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). It also extended the benefit of Non-Functional Financial Up-gradation(NFFU) and Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG) to the executive cadre officers at an enhanced rate of 30%.
Recruitment of candidates to the CAPFs may be conducted by theUnion Public Service Commission CAPF- AC exam, theStaff Selection Commission CPO exam, or the respective service HQs, depending on the post to be filled. The medical officers of the CAPFs, NSG, and AR are recruited via a common interview/personality test by the medical officers selection board (MOSB) constituted by the office of ADG(Medical), CAPFs, NSG, and AR.The allotment of the force to the officer in any above exams is based on the merit rank and preference list.
TheMinistry of Home Affairs and theStaff Selection Commission of theUnion Government of India allowed the recruitment examination of the CAPF be conducted inAssamese,Bengali,Gujarati,Marathi,Malayalam,Meitei (Manipuri),Kannada,Tamil,Telugu,Odia,Urdu,Punjabi, andKonkani, 13 of the22 official languages of the Indian Republic, in addition toHindi and English.[23][24]
| Rank group | Subordinate Officers (SO) | Non commissioned officers (NCO) | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Assam Rifles[34] |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar major सूबेदार मेजर | Subedar सूबेदार | Naib subedar नायब सूबेदार | Warrant officer - | Havildar[note 10] हवलदार | Rifleman[note 11] - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Border Security Force |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar major सूबेदार मेजर | Inspector निरीक्षक | Sub-inspector उप निरीक्षक | Assistant sub-inspector सहायक उप निरीक्षक | Head constable हवलदार | Constable कनिष्ठबल | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Central Industrial Security Force[27][28][35] | | | |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inspector निरीक्षक | Sub inspector उप निरीक्षक | Assistant sub-inspector सहायक उप निरीक्षक | Head constable हवलदार | Constable कनिष्ठबल | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Central Reserve Police Force[29][30] |  |  |  |  | | No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar major सूबेदार मेजर | Inspector निरीक्षक | Sub-inspector उप निरीक्षक | Assistant sub-inspector सहायक उप निरीक्षक | Head constable हवलदार | Constable कनिष्ठबल | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Indo-Tibetan Border Police[31] |  |  |  | |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar major सूबेदार मेजर | Subedar/Inspector सूबेदार/निरीक्षक | Sub inspector उप निरीक्षक | Head constable हवलदार | Naik नायक | Lance naik लांस नायक | Constable कनिष्ठबल | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 National Security Guard[32] |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar major सूबेदार मेजर | Assistant commander-1 - | Assistant commander-2 - | Assistant commander-3 - | Ranger grade I - | Ranger grade II - | Combatised tradesmen - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sashastra Seema Bal[33] | | | | | | | | No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subedar major सूबेदार मेजर | Inspector निरीक्षक | Sub inspector उप निरीक्षक | Assistant sub-inspector सहायक उप निरीक्षक | Head constable हवलदार | Naik नायक | Lance naik लांस नायक | Constable कनिष्ठबल | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank group | Subordinate Officers (SO) | Non commissioned officers (NCO) | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Officers in CAPFs are recruited through the Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination conducted by UPSC. They are appointed as Assistant Commandants and are Gazetted Officers generally referred to as DAGOs (Directly Appointed Gazetted Officers) in CRPF, AC (Direct Entry) in BSF. DEGOs (Departmental Entry Gazetted Officers) are those officers who have been promoted through departmental exams conducted internally for Subordinate Officers. They are known as encounter specialists among the police forces of India.
Sub Inspectors are recruited through a competitive examination conducted by the Staff Selection Commission, and they are referred to as DASOs (Directly Appointed Subordinate Officers). DESOs (Departmental Entry Subordinate Officers) are those officers who have been promoted through departmental exams conducted internally for Constables, Head Constables, and Assistant Sub Inspectors. Constables are recruited through a competitive examination conducted byStaff Selection Commission. Apart from the above modes, CAPFs conduct recruitment for specialized posts such as Engineers, Doctors, etc., among DAGOs and Wireless operators, Technicians, Nursing Staff, etc., among subordinate officers and constables directly under their own authority (MHA).
Women were not recruited for the Central Armed Police Forces until 1992. Earlier, the role of women was limited to supervisory roles.[36] TheParliamentary Committees of India for women's empowerment recommended expanding women's roles in CAPF. TheMinistry of Home Affairs declared reservation for women in constabulary, and later declared that they can also be inducted as officers in combat roles in five CAPFs.[36] The Union Home Minister announced that women's representation in the CRPF and CISF would be made 15 percent while it would be 5 percent in the BSF, ITBP and SSB.[37] In 2016, it was decided that 33 percent of posts at the constabulary level would be reserved for women in the CRPF and the CISF, and 14-15 percent of posts at the constable level in the BSF, SSB and ITBP in a phased manner.[38]
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