BSF

It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of India, and 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 there with”. Assam Rifles guard the border with Myanmar and Special Service Bureau (SSB) replaced BSF along the border with Bhutan.

It is a Central Armed Police force/Central Para-Military Force charged with guarding India’s land border with Pakistan and Bangladesh during peacetime and preventing transnational crime at the same, it has various active roles during an outbreak of war. It comes under Ministry of Home Affairs. The BSF has its own cadre of officers but its head, designated as a Director-General (DG), since its raising has been an officer from the Indian Police Service. The BSF has grown exponentially from a few battalions in 1965, to 186 battalions with a sanctioned strength of 257,363 personnel including an expanding air wing, marine wing, an artillery regiment, and specialised units. It currently stands as the world’s largest border guarding force. BSF has been termed as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories.