Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

India’s largest Central Armed Police Force did not start as an Indian force at all. It began under the British as a tool for controlling princely states. This article traces how it became the backbone of India’s internal security.

1Chapter 1: From Colonial Police to India’s Largest CAPF

Must Know

The timeline

• 27 July 1939: the British raised the Crown Representative’s Police.
• It had just one battalion, formed to help control unrest in princely states.
• 28 December 1949: the CRPF Act was enacted.
• The force was renamed the Central Reserve Police Force, on the initiative of Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• October 1992: the Rapid Action Force was raised as a wing for riot and crowd control.
• 2008: CoBRA was raised, a jungle-warfare unit for anti-Naxal operations.

Scale and roles

• The CRPF is India’s largest Central Armed Police Force.
• As of 2026, it has over 3 lakh personnel in more than 240 battalions.
• Its core roles are internal security, anti-Naxal operations, riot control and election security.
• Its motto is “Seva aur Nishtha”, meaning Service and Loyalty.
• As of 2026, 2,270 CRPF personnel have died in the line of duty since its beginning.
• See Central Armed Police Forces of India for the full family.

2Chapter 2: Firsts and Courage

Good to Know

The first women’s battalion

• The CRPF raised its first women’s unit, the 88 Mahila Battalion, in 1986.
• It became operational in 1987.

Kamlesh Kumari and the Parliament attack

• On 13 December 2001, CRPF Constable Kamlesh Kumari was the first security person to spot the terrorists and raise the alarm.
• She was killed doing so.
• CRPF personnel and Delhi Police stopped the attackers from entering the Parliament building.

Why the origin matters

• The CRPF began as a tool for controlling princely states, not defending borders.
• That is why its core mission stayed internal security.
• Later forces like the BSF were built for border defence. See Border Security Force (BSF).
• Renaming the force in 1949 fits a wider pattern.
• Newly independent India kept useful colonial institutions but placed them under national authority.

A force that keeps specialising

• RAF and CoBRA came decades after the founding.
• Each new threat, whether riots or insurgency, got its own dedicated wing.
• Generalists did not handle it alone.

3Chapter 3: Current Affairs

Current Affairs

Naxalism declared eliminated

• On 31 March 2026, Home Minister Amit Shah declared in Parliament that the country had become free from Naxal violence.
• That was a day ahead of his own government-set deadline. (Source: ThePrint.)
• CoBRA was central to the campaign.
• It is credited with neutralising over 364 Maoists and helping bring about more than 2,300 surrenders.
• Maoist-affected districts fell from 126 to just 8.
• Left-Wing Extremist violence dropped roughly 90%.
• See Left-Wing Extremism (Naxalism) in India.

Raising Day, 27 July 2026

• On CRPF’s Raising Day, PM Modi praised the force’s role “in eliminating the menace of Maoism.”
• Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tribute.
• So did opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (Source: IANS via The Shillong Times.)

Related laws

• UAPA and Terrorist Designations in India is the law CRPF-led operations often invoke against Naxal networks.
• TADA and POTA are the historical precursors.

Quick Q&A

• CRPF raised? 27 July 1939.
• CRPF Act? 28 December 1949.
• RAF raised? October 1992.
• First women’s battalion? 88 Mahila Battalion, 1986.
• Motto? Seva aur Nishtha.