📖 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)
India has several specialised central forces, each with a distinct mandate:
- Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) — the largest CAPF, primarily for internal security duties, including anti-LWE operations and law-and-order support.
- Border Security Force (BSF) — guards the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders.
- Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) — guards the India-China border in high-altitude terrain.
- Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) — guards the India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders.
- Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) — protects critical industrial installations and infrastructure (airports, metros, etc.).
- National Security Guard (NSG) — an elite force for counter-terrorism and hostage-rescue operations.
🕵️ Intelligence agencies
- Intelligence Bureau (IB) — India's domestic intelligence agency, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — India's external intelligence agency, focused on foreign intelligence gathering.
Effective internal security depends on close coordination between these forces and agencies, alongside state police forces, which remain the first line of response in most law-and-order situations.
