BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and SSB: raising year, mandate, deployment, and the wider CAPF family
The CAPF (AC) examination recruits Assistant Commandants for five Central Armed Police Forces, all under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA): the Border Security Force (BSF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Each has a distinct primary mandate, from border guarding to internal security to industrial protection. This note gives the spine facts for each, plus a note on Assam Rifles and the broader force family. For the role and career, see about capf ac.
| Force | Raised | Ministry | Primary mandate | Principal deployment | Headquarters and motto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSF (Border Security Force) | 1965 | MHA | Guarding India's land borders during peacetime and preventing transborder crime | India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders | HQ New Delhi; motto "Jeevan Paryant Kartavya" (Duty unto Death) |
| CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) | 1939 (as Crown Representative's Police; renamed CRPF 1949) | MHA | Internal security, counter-insurgency, anti-Naxal operations, law and order aid to States | Across India, including Left-Wing Extremism areas and Jammu and Kashmir | HQ New Delhi; motto "Seva aur Nishtha" (Service and Loyalty) |
| CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) | 1969 | MHA | Security of critical industrial undertakings, airports, and key installations | Airports, ports, metros, nuclear and space facilities, government buildings | HQ New Delhi; motto "Protection and Security" |
| ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) | 1962 | MHA | Guarding the India-China border and high-altitude border security | India-China border along the Himalayas | HQ New Delhi; motto "Shaurya, Dridhata, Karm Nishtha" (Valour, Determination, Devotion to Duty) |
| SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) | 1963 (as Special Service Bureau; renamed SSB 2003) | MHA | Guarding the open India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders | India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders | HQ New Delhi; motto "Service, Security and Brotherhood" |
Years and mottoes above are durable historical facts. Where a specific official phrasing matters for an answer, confirm against the relevant force's official website.
Raised in 1965 after the India-Pakistan war exposed the need for a single, centrally controlled border force. It is the primary force on the western (India-Pakistan) and eastern (India-Bangladesh) land borders in peacetime, and comes under the Army's operational control in wartime. It also runs water wings and air wings and is among the largest border-guarding forces in the world.
India's largest CAPF by strength. Originally the Crown Representative's Police (1939), it became the CRPF by an Act of Parliament in 1949. Its core role is internal security: counter-insurgency, anti-Naxal (Left-Wing Extremism) operations, election duty, riot control, and law-and-order assistance to States. Specialist units include the Rapid Action Force (RAF) for riot control and the CoBRA units for jungle warfare against Naxals.
Raised in 1969 to protect public-sector industrial undertakings. Its mandate has since expanded to airport security, metro rail, ports, nuclear and aerospace installations, and the protection of government buildings, along with a private-sector consultancy and VIP security role. It is the force most associated with installation and aviation security rather than border or field operations.
Raised in 1962 in the aftermath of the India-China war. It is a high-altitude, mountain-trained border force deployed along the India-China frontier in the Himalayas, often at extreme altitudes. ITBP personnel are trained mountaineers and the force also contributes to disaster response and to security at Indian missions abroad.
Raised in 1963 as the Special Service Bureau for border-area development and morale-building, it was reorganised and renamed the Sashastra Seema Bal in 2003 and given charge of the open India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders. These are friendly, unfenced borders, so the SSB's work blends border guarding with community engagement.
Assam Rifles is the oldest paramilitary force in India, raised in 1835. It guards the India-Myanmar border and conducts counter-insurgency in the North-East. It has a dual control structure: administrative control under the MHA, operational control under the Ministry of Defence (Indian Army). Officers are not recruited through the CAPF (AC) examination, so Assam Rifles is part of the wider force family but outside this exam's allocation.
The National Security Guard (NSG) is a counter-terrorism and counter-hijack force under the MHA, again recruited and deputed separately, not through CAPF (AC).
In common official usage, "Central Armed Police Forces" refers to the five forces above (sometimes counted with Assam Rifles for a total of seven uniformed central forces under or partly under the MHA). CAPF (AC) allocation, however, is to the five forces named in the notification.