Para-Military Forces

The Para-Military Forces assist the Police, as and when required, to maintain law & order in their respective States. They come under the control of the Central Government, namely the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). There are several Para-Military Forces in India. Some of the prominent ones are listed below;

• Railway Protection Force: This force has around 60,000 personnel and is used in the protection of railways.

• State Armed Police: The SAP has 400,000 personnel and is used for duty in the primarily state only but can be moved to other states. It includes 24 battalions of the India Reserve which is commando-trained.

• Defence Security Corps: The DSC has a strength of around 31,000 personnel and provides security at Defence Ministry sites. It also provides protection to designated DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) establishments against acts of terrorism. The personnel consist mainly of retired soldiers who are re-hired for a couple of years.

With a view to upgrading the weaponry of the Para-Military Forces, several new weapons, namely sniper rifles, heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, and more recently, 5.56mm rifles have been introduced. Adequate quantities of sophisticated weapons have also been allotted to different State/UT Police Forces within the overall availability of resources. For upgrading weaponry of State/UT Police Forces, the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) has undertaken a comprehensive study.

The Union Home Ministry has instructed the central para-military forces to upgrade their training content and organise regular rotational training wherein one out of every six personnel will be on training at any given time. The directions of the MHA - recently forwarded to the Director Generals of the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, Assam Rifles and the National Security Guards for implementation - came in the wake of a review conducted by an official committee on the training content, frequency and duration of training imparted to para-military personnel. The committee is said to have felt the need to revise the training regimen given the experience in Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East where the insurgents/militants far outshone the para-military forces in skills such as guerrilla warfare and the operation of sophisticated gadgets and weapons.

Infantry Weapons used by Para-Military Forces
{ Courtesy of Dr. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj }

Pistols	9mm FN-35
Sub-Machine Guns	9mm Sterling and 9mm MP-5
Machine Guns	7.62mm FN MAG, 7.62mm Bren L4, 7.62mm IB and Vickers .303
Rifles	7.62mm 1A1 SLR and 7.62mm AKM variants
Mortars	51mm, 81mm and 120mm
Anti-Tank Weapons	84mm Carl Gustav, 57mm and 106mm RCL M40

Comments: The infantry weapons listed above refers ONLY to the Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Assam Rifles, Indo-Tibetan Border Police & Rashtriya Rifles and not to the other para-military forces.

The 9mm FN-35 is the standard issued pistol. The 9mm Sterling is the standard SMG, while some units use the 9mm MP5. The Vickers .303 MMG is in service, but in very small quantities. The 7.62mm 1A1 SLR is the standard rifle, while some units also use the 7.62mm AKM variants. The 51mm and 81mm mortars are widely used with the exception that the 81mm is not used by the CRPF. Some 120mm mortars may by used by the BSF. The 84mm Carl Gustav are issued as needed. Some 57mm and 106mm recoilless guns may also be issued to the ITBP and BSF as needed. The BSF also has 200 artillery pieces, which include the 3.7inch Mountain Howitzer and the 25 pounder.

• Home Guard

• Border Security Force	• Rashtriya Rifles

• Indo-Tibetan Border Police	• Special Security Bureau

• Central Reserve Police Force	• Central Industrial Security Force