27 July 1939 ; 87 years ago ( 1939-07-27 ) (as Crown Representative's Police) 28 December 1949 ; 76 years ago ( 1949-12-28 ) (as Central Reserve Police Force) Central Reserve Police Force Act, 1949 [ 2 ] Amit Shah , Union Minister of Home Affairs Gyanendra Pratap Singh , IPS , Director General Commando Battalion for Resolute Action Rapid Action Force Special Duty Group VIP Security Group Operation All Out (J&K) Anti-Naxal Operations (LWE Region) Valour Day (9 April) Police Commemoration Day (21 October) Valour Day (9 April) Police Commemoration Day (21 October) The Central Reserve Police Force ( CRPF ) is a central armed police force in India , under the Ministry of Home Affairs , Government of India . It is India's national gendarmerie , assisting states in the upkeep of law and order, combating insurgencies and protecting national interests internally. Established as the Crown Representative's Police on the cusp of the Second World War in 1939, it was later given its present name following Indian independence. It is the largest central armed police force , comprising 247 battalions and exceeding a total strength of 301,376 personnel, as of 2019. [ 3 ] Ministry of Defence Department of Military Affairs Chief of Defence Staff Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Defence Secretary of India Integrated Defence Staff Department of Defence Department of Military Affairs Department of Defence Production Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare Indian Air Force Indian Coast Guard Paramilitary forces of India Central Armed Police Forces Border Security Force Central Industrial Security Force Central Reserve Police Force Indo-Tibetan Border Police National Security Guard Sashastra Seema Bal Railway Protection Force Special Frontier Force Special Protection Group Defence Intelligence Agency Defence Space Agency Defence Cyber Agency Border Roads Organisation Military history of India Military history of British India Originally constituted as the Crown Representative Police in 1939, CRP was raised in response to the political unrest and agitations in the then Princely States of India following the Madras Resolution of the All-India Congress Committee in 1936 and the ever-growing desire of the Crown Representative to help the vast majority of the native States preserve law and order as part of imperial policy. After Independence, the force was renamed the Central Reserve Police Force by an Act of Parliament on 28 December 1949. This Act constituted CRPF as an armed force of the Union. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel , the then Home Minister, visualised a multi-dimensional role for it in tune with the changing needs of a newly independent nation. [ 4 ] The force played a significant role during the amalgamation of the princely States into the Indian Union. It helped the Union Government discipline the rebellious princely state of Junagadh and the small principality of Kathiawar in Gujarat which had declined to join the Indian Union. During the early 1950s, the performance of the CRPF detachments in enforcing law and order in Bhuj, the then Patiala and East Punjab States Union and Chambal ravines was appreciated by all quarters. On 21 October 1959, SI Karam Singh and 20 other CRPF personnel were attacked by the Chinese Army at Hot Springs in Ladakh resulting in 10 casualties. The survivors were imprisoned. Since then, 21 October has been observed as Police Commemoration day nationwide, across all states in India. [ 5 ] In the late 50s and early 60s, contingents of the CRPF were sent to Kutch, Rajasthan, and Sindh borders to check infiltration and trans-border crimes. They were, subsequently, deployed on the Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir following attacks launched by the Pakistani infiltrators. During the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the Force once again assisted the Indian Army in Arunachal Pradesh. Eight CRPF personnel were killed in action. In the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars also the Force fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indian Army, both on the Western and Eastern borders. For the first time in history, thirteen companies of CRPF were airlifted to join the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka to fight the militant cadres. Besides, CRPF personnel were also sent to Haiti, Namibia, Somalia, and Maldives to deal with the law and order situation there, as a part of the UN Peacekeeping Force. In the late seventies, when extremist elements disturbed the peace in Tripura and Manipur, CRPF battalions were deployed in strength. Simultaneously, there was turmoil in the Brahmaputra Valley. The CRPF had to be inducted in strength not only to maintain law and order but also to keep lines of communication free from disruption. The commitments of the Force continue to be very high in the Northeast in dealing with the insurgency. [ 6 ] The CRPF is headed by a Director General and is assisted by 3 Additional Directors General, 9 Inspectors General, a Financial Advisor, and a Director (Medical). It is divided into ten administrative sectors, each headed by an Inspector General. Each sector consists of one or more administrative and/or operational ranges, headed by an officer of the rank of deputy inspector general (DIG) of Police. Now, Group Centres are also headed by DIGs. The Financial Advisor of the CRPF has been an Indian Revenue Service officer of the rank of Joint Secretary and also has Deputy Advisors from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service or the Indian Telecom. There are 247 battalions of approximately 1,200 each. Each battalion is commanded by a commanding officer of the rank Commandant , and consists of seven CRPF companies, each containing 135 men. Each company is headed by an Assistant Commandant,(Company Commander). The Ministry of Home Affairs planned to raise 2 Group Centers, 2 Range HQs, 1 Sector HQ, and 12 new battalions including a Mahila (all-female) battalion by 2019. [ 7 ] The CRPF is organised into a headquarters, three attached wings, and four zones. An attached wing is headed by an additional director general and is subdivided into branches which are headed by an inspector general. A zone is either headed by an additional director general or a special director general. A zone is subdivided into sectors where each sector is headed by an inspector general. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Details of the composition of zones: Central Zone - 8 sectors, 24 Ranges, 19 Group Centres, 91 administrative battalions, 98 operational battalions. 9 Composite Hospitals. 2 Central Workshops, 1 Armament Workshop, 2 Central Training Centres, 3 Recruit Training Centres, and 1 Central Institute of Advanced Training. [ 10 ] Jammu & Kashmir Zone - 6 sectors (including 1 Operations Sector). 80 operational battalions (including Chandigarh 1 Mahila Bn) are deployed in the area of responsibility of this Zone. [ 11 ] Southern Zone - The zone has 3 sectors consisting of 07 Ranges (including one Operations range), 8 Group Centres, 7 Composite Hospitals, 1 Station Hospital, 1 Central Weapon Store, 2 Arms Work Shop, 2 Central Training College, 2 Recruit Training College, 1 Dog Breeding & Training School at Taralu, 1 Improvised Explosive Device School at Pune , 1 College of Information Technology at Bangalore , 1 National Institute of Jungle Craft at Belgaum , 1 Training Node at Hyderabad , CIAT Chittoor, 3 National Disaster Response Force Battalions, 3 Mahila Battalions at Nagpur , Gandhinagar and Bangalore , 38 Administrative Battalions, 19 Operational Battalions and 5 Rapid Action Force (RAF) Battalions. [ 12 ] North East Zone - The zone has 4 sectors consisting of 6 Group Centres, 60 battalions, 1 CoBRA battalion, 1 Central Institute of Advanced Training, 1 Composite Hospital (100 beds), and 2 Composite Hospitals (50 beds). [ 13 ] Rapid Action Force The Rapid Action Force (RAF) is a specialised unit under the CRPF. It has a total strength of 15 battalions and was formed in October 1992, as a riot control force to deal with communal and related civil unrest. The battalions are numbered from 99 to 108. The RAF is a zero-response force intended to quickly respond to a crisis. [ 14 ] It was the recipient of the President's color presented by Shri L.K. Advani , then Deputy Prime Minister of India, on 7 October 2003 for "its selfless service to the nation in the 11th year of coming into existence". The smallest functional unit in the force is a 'Team' commanded by an inspector , which has three components — a riot control element, a tear gas element, and a fire element. It has been organised as an independent strike unit. One team in each company of the RAF is composed of female personnel to deal more effectively with situations where the force faces women demonstrators. [ 15 ] Special Duty Group It is a battalion-sized unit of the CRPF tasked with providing security for the outer cordon of the Prime Minister's official residence on 7, Race Course Road and his office in the North Block as well as during outdoor functions. It comprises around 1,000 personnel. [ 16 ] [ 17 ] On 20 May 2024, the Parliamentary Duty Group (PDG) of CRPF ceased to function and was merged with the VIP security wing of the force as the security of parliament house was handed over to the CISF by the government due to a security breach issue. [ 18 ] Commando Battalion for Resolute Action [ 19 ] (CoBRA) is the special operation unit of CRPF created in 2008 to deal the Naxalite insurgency in India. This specialised CRPF unit is one of the few units of the Central Armed Police Forces in the country that is specifically trained in guerilla warfare. This elite fighting unit has been trained to track, hunt, and eliminate small Naxalite groups. There are currently 10 battalion-sized COBRA units. 10 CoBRA units raised between 2008 and 2011 have been trained, equipped, and deployed. CoBRA was awarded four Shaurya Chakras , one Kirti Chakra , one PPMG , [ 20 ] 117 PMGs, and 1267 DG commendations. The organization is structured mainly on three rank categories which include Gazetted Officers (GOs), Subordinate Officers (SOs), and Non-Gazetted Officers (NGOs). The Assistant Commandants are Group 'A' Gazetted officers, directly appointed upon clearing an exam conducted by the UPSC which is held yearly. Being a central Indian police agency and having a high presence of Indian Police Service officers, CRPF follows ranks and insignia similar to other police organizations in India. List of Directors General V. G. Kanetkar was the first director general of the Central Reserve Police Force, serving from 3 August 1968 to 15 September 1969. [ 23 ] The current director general is Gyanendra Pratap Singh in office since 20 January 2025. [ 24 ] Members of the CRPF have been awarded 2468 medals. [ 5 ] CRPF bagged the highest number of gallantry medals amongst all paramilitary forces. The force was awarded 30 gallantry medals on Republic Day 2022. In popular culture The acronym CRPF has been expanded as "Chalte Raho Pyare Force" ( lit. ' Keep moving my friend force ' or ' Keep Moving, Beloved Force ' ) since they are constantly on the move from one troubled place in India to another. [ 25 ] [ 26 ] [ 27 ] Ministry of Home Affairs Border Security Force Indo-Tibetan Border Police Central Industrial Security Force Sashastra Seema Bal National Security Guard Operation Green Hunt Indian Coast Guard Central Reserve Police Force SC Internal Security Academy People's Armed Police Russian National Guard ↑ "DEMAND NO. 51, Demands for Grants, 2026-2027, MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS" (PDF) . IndiaBudget.gov.in . New Delhi . 1 February 2026. p. 5 . Retrieved 1 February 2026 . ↑ "The Central Reserve Police Force Act, 1949" (PDF) . ↑ "crpf.nic.in/milestones-of-bravery" . crpf.nic . Archived from the original on 5 July 2017 . Retrieved 5 July 2017 . ↑ https://crpf.gov.in/Upload/News/File/285_1_13990716.pdf CRPF 1 2 "Milestones of Bravery" . crpf.nic.in . Archived from the original on 5 July 2017 . Retrieved 5 July 2017 . ↑ "History of CRPF | About Us | Central Reserve Police Force, Government of India" . crpf.gov.in . Retrieved 7 June 2019 . ↑ "MHA Annual Report 2015-16" (PDF) . National Informatics Centre . Ministry of Home Affairs . p. 172. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2017 . Retrieved 27 April 2017 . ↑ "Organisation Structure - CRPF" . crpf.gov.in . Retrieved 9 July 2024 . ↑ "Organisation Chart - CRPF" . crpf.gov.in . Retrieved 9 July 2024 . ↑ "Central Zone - CRPF" . crpf.gov.in . Retrieved 9 July 2024 . ↑ "J&K Zone - CRPF" . crpf.gov.in . Retrieved 9 July 2024 . ↑ "Southern Zone - CRPF" . crpf.gov.in . Retrieved 9 July 2024 . ↑ "North East Zone - CRPF" . crpf.gov.in . Retrieved 9 July 2024 . ↑ "RAF Sector" . crpf.nic.in . Archived from the original on 6 October 2017 . Retrieved 5 July 2017 . ↑ "About Sector" . crpf.nic.in . Archived from the original on 2 July 2017 . Retrieved 5 July 2017 . ↑ "CRPF orders enquiry after expired polio vaccines given to some infants at medical camp" . 20 May 2020 . Retrieved 17 May 2021 . ↑ "CRPF orders inquiry in 'botched up' vaccination drive among personnel's children" . 20 May 2020 . Retrieved 17 May 2021 . ↑ "CISF takes over Parliament security from May 20 as CRPF exits" . The Times of India . 20 May 2024. ISSN 0971-8257 . Retrieved 1 September 2024 . ↑ "CoBRA Sector" . crpf.nic.in . Archived from the original on 5 July 2017 . Retrieved 5 July 2017 . ↑ "About Sector | CoBRA Sector | Central Reserve Police Force, Government of India" . crpf.nic.in . Archived from the original on 19 December 2016 . Retrieved 12 December 2016 . 1 2 "The Central Reserve Police Force Rules/Regulations/Scheme,1955" (PDF) . 24 February 1955. 1 2 "Career Prospects" . Central Reserve Police Force . Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. ↑ "Former DG" . crpf.nic.in . Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 . Retrieved 12 December 2016 . ↑ "GP Singh takes charge as CRPF's new Director General" . ANI News . ↑ Halarnkar, Samar (7 April 2010). "No time for war" . Hindustan Times . Retrieved 9 July 2020 . ↑ Raza, M. Maroof (2009). Confronting Terrorism . Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-670-08369-5 . ↑ Joshi, Manoj (10 January 2017). "BSF Jawan's Video Has a Simple Message: India Should be Ready to Pay for Security" . The Wire . Retrieved 9 July 2020 . Official website Indian Police Service Intelligence Bureau Central Reserve Police Force Bureau of Police Research and Development Central Industrial Security Force National Security Guard National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Sciences National Crime Records Bureau National Civil Defence College National Investigation Agency National Crime Investigation Bureau North Eastern Council North Eastern Police Academy Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy Rashtriya Rifles Narcotics Control Bureau Central Translation Bureau Central Hindi Training Institute

Border Security Force Indo-Tibetan Border Police Sashastra Seema Bal Central Reserve Police Force Central Industrial Security Force National Security Guards Special Frontier Force Defence Security Corps Bureau of Immigration (India) Narcotics Control Bureau National Crime Records Bureau Central Bureau of Investigation National Crime Investigation Bureau Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs Department of Home Department of States H. V. R. Iyengar V. Vishwanathan N. K. Mukherjee T. C. A. Srinivasavaradan S. M. H. Burney T. N. Chaturvedi J. A. Kalyankrishnan Shiromani Sharma K. Padmanabhaiah Balmiki Prasad Singh Dhirendra Singh Vinod Kumar Duggal Gopal Krishna Pillai Ajay Kumar Bhalla (incumbent) Vallabhbhai Patel Jawaharlal Nehru C. Rajagopalachari Kailash Nath Katju Govind Ballabh Pant Lal Bahadur Shastri Gulzari Lal Nanda Yashwantrao Chavan Uma Shankar Dikshit Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Hirubhai M. Patel R. Venkataraman Prakash Chandra Sethi P. V. Narasimha Rao Shankarrao Chavan Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Chandra Shekhar Murli Manohar Joshi H. D. Deve Gowda Sushilkumar Shinde Amit Shah (incumbent) Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh G. Kishan Reddy (incumbent) Ministry of Home Affairs National Crime Records Bureau Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Intelligence Bureau Research and Analysis Wing Special Group Special Frontier Force Special Frontier Force National Technical Research Organisation Joint Intelligence Committee Directorate of Revenue Intelligence Financial Intelligence Unit Central Economic Intelligence Bureau Economic Intelligence Council Central Bureau of Investigation National Investigation Agency Enforcement Directorate Narcotics Control Bureau Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation Investigation Division of the Central Board of Direct Taxes Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Central Bureau of Narcotics Indian Police Service State Police Services Delhi Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal Bureau of Police Research and Development Indian Police Foundation and Institute Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy Bihar Police Academy CRPF Academy Internal Security Academy National Industrial Security Academy Rajasthan Police Academy Telangana State Police Academy Bihar Police Academy Internal Security Academy National Industrial Security Academy Rajasthan Police Academy Telangana State Police Academy Border Security Force Central Armed Police Forces Central Industrial Security Force Central Reserve Police Force Commando Battalion for Resolute Action Rapid Action Force Commando Battalion for Resolute Action Rapid Action Force Indo-Tibetan Border Police National Security Guard Railway Protection Force Special Protection Group Sashastra Seema Bal Andaman and Nicobar Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Jammu and Kashmir Arunachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad Counter Insurgency Force Eastern Frontier Rifles Kerala Thunderbolts Malabar Special Police Mizoram Armed Police Punjab Police SWAT Team Special Operations Group (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Operation Group (Odisha) Special Tactical Unit Special Tactical Unit Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary Uttarakhand Provincial Armed Constabulary Anti-corruption agencies: Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau AP Anti-Corruption Bureau Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau AP Anti-Corruption Bureau Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau Forest Departments: Maharashtra Assam Tamil Nadu Haryana Telengana West Bengal Gujarat Uttarakhand Kerala Andhra Pradesh Excise and Prohibition Departments: Kerala Excise Telangana Excise Andhra Pradesh Excise Telangana Excise Andhra Pradesh Excise State Transport & Motor Vehicles Departments: Kerala Motor Vehicles Department Department of Transport, Tamil Nadu Regional Transport Office Kerala Motor Vehicles Department Department of Transport, Tamil Nadu Regional Transport Office Government agencies established in 1939 Federal law enforcement agencies of India Units of the Indian Peace Keeping Force Central Armed Police Forces of India 1939 establishments in British India India in World War II Specialist law enforcement agencies of India Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use Indian English from July 2026 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Use dmy dates from July 2026 Articles containing Hindi-language text Commons category link from Wikidata Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia