Central Reserve Police Force

Central Reserve Police Force Emblem

Motto Service and Loyalty

Agency overview

Formed 27 July, 1939

Legal personality Governmental: Government agency

Jurisdictional structure

Federal agency India

Governing body Ministry of Home Affairs (India)

Constituting instrument Central Reserve Police Force Act, 1949

General nature 

Federal law enforcement

Civilian agency

Specialist jurisdiction 

Operational structure

Agency executive Pranay Sahay, Director General

Sectors 10

The Central Reserve Police Force (Devanāgarī: केंद्रीय रिज़र्व पुलिस बल) also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and containinsurgency. It came into existence as the Crown Representative's Police on 27 July 1939. After Indian Independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28 December 1949.

Besides Law and Order and counter-insurgency duties, the role of CRPF in the General Elections, held repeatedly during the past few years, has been very significant and vital. This is especially true for the trouble-ridden states of J&K, Bihar and in the North East. During the Parliamentary elections of September 1999, the CRPF played a major role in the security arrangements. Of late, CRPF contingents are also being deployed in UN missions.

With 220 battalions and various other establishments, the CRPF is considered to be one of the largest paramilitary force in the world. Nonetheless, the CRPF does not fall under the Indian government's definit

The CRPF was derived from the CRP (Crown Representative's Police) on 27 July 1939 with 2 battalions in Nimach, Madhya Pradesh. Its primary duty at the time was to protect theBritish residents in sensitive states of India.

In 1949, the CRP was renamed under the CRPF Act. During the 1960s, many state reserve police battalions were merged with the CRPF. The CRPF has been active against foreign invasion and domestic insurgency.

On 21 October 1959, Dy.S.P. Karam Singh and 20 soldiers were attacked by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh resulting in 10 casualties. The survivors were imprisoned. Since then, 21 October is observed as Police Commemoration day.

During the 1965 India-Pakistan War, two companies consisting of 150 men of the 2nd Battalion of the CRPF defeated an infantry brigade consisting of 1600 men of the Pakistan Armyat Kanjar Kot in Gujarat

The CRPF guarded the India-Pakistan Border until 1965, at which point the Border Security Force was created for that purpose.

On 2001 Indian Parliament attack the CRPF troopers killed all five terrorists who had entered the premises of the Indian Parliament in New Delhi.

In recent years, the Government of India has decided to follow up on recommendations of the Indian cabinet to use each security agency for its mandated purpose. As a result, the counter-insurgency operations in India have been entrusted to the CRPF.

In 2008 a wing called Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was added to the CRPF to counter the Naxalite movement.

On September 2, 2009, 5000 CRPF soldiers were deployed for a search and rescue mission to find the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy whose helicopter went missing over the Nallamalla Forest Range in Andhra Pradesh. This was the largest search operation ever mounted in India.