India's 7 Specialised “Paramilitary” Forces

[JANASENA]

 

 

A nation as diverse as India faces enemies and threats that are as diverse as well. To counter all these various threats, our country trains and deploys certain specialised armed forces – the “paramilitary” forces of India.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the term “paramilitary” as “Designating, of, or relating to a force or unit whose function and organization are analogous or ancillary to those of a professional military force, but which is not regarded as having professional or legitimate status.” Simply put, paramilitary forces are semi-military forces whose structures are similar to a professional military force, but who are not included as a nation’s formal armed forces.

India has conventionally had seven Paramilitary Forces, designated with different specialisations and duties, ranging from protecting our borders to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism. In 2011, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to rename five of the seven as Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to avoid confusion; hence, now, we officially designate only two forces as “paramilitary”: the Assam Rifles (AR), and the Special Frontier Force (SFF).

This video, sourced from Factly, looks at all seven forces and explains the specialised roles and functions of each. Their personnel perform tasks as important and noteworthy as our main armed forces. On this Armed Forces Flag Day, we salute their selfless dedication and love for the citizens of India!

[Chanti_Abbai]

[argadorn]

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