Special Protection Group (SPG)

Definition

An armed force of the Union, raised under the Special Protection Group Act, 1988, dedicated to the proximate security of the Prime Minister of India.

Key points

• It was raised in 1985 after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, and the SPG Act was enacted in 1988; it functions under the Cabinet Secretariat.
• Following amendments to the Act (notably in 2019), SPG protection is provided to the serving Prime Minister and to members of the immediate family residing with the Prime Minister at the official residence.
• It is distinct from the general VIP-security categories (Z-plus, Z, Y, X) that are provided by other forces such as the CRPF, CISF, and State police based on threat assessment.
• Its personnel are drawn from the CAPFs and other forces and are specially trained in close protection.
• It is a small, highly specialised force, unlike the large border-guarding or internal-security CAPFs.

Why it matters for CAPF

It is a frequently confused institutions item: the SPG (only for the PM) versus the threat-based VIP-security categories provided by the CRPF and others is a clean discriminator for exam questions.

Common confusion

The SPG protects only the Prime Minister and the immediate family at the official residence (after the 2019 amendment); other protectees, including former PMs unless reassessed, fall under categories like Z-plus provided by the CRPF and State police. The SPG is under the Cabinet Secretariat, not directly a border force.

Related concepts

concept national security guard, concept central industrial security force, concept special frontier force

Parent note

internal security architecture of india