crpf news letter 2012-13 - Central Reserve Police Force

CRPF – Internal Security Force of the Nation
-D.R. Kaarthikeyan
Former Director CBI
I
cherish the few years that I served
with the CRPF as amongst the most
valuable periods of my life and service.
The Force had a humble beginning in the
year 1939, with just one battalion, then
known as CRP-Crown Representative’s
Police. It was a self sufficient force
organised and trained on military lines
to function in aid of civil power in the
Princely states. This battalion was
constituted on religious lines with 375
Hindus, 375 Muslims and 250 Sikhs
and even these personnel were mostly
from retired or released ex-army
personnel from Punjab, Rajputana and
Delhi areas.
It was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first
Home Minister of independent India
who had the vision of re-orienting this
force and saw the need for such a force
in future India.
Introducing the Central Reserve Police
Force bill in the parliament he said –
“Ours is a vast country, where
consolidation has taken place with
electric rapidity. So, unless we are
very watchful we may find to our cost,
difficulties arising for which we may
have to pay heavily.
“Therefore, we have taken care to
organise our services, our police force
and all the requirements that are
considered necessary for keeping law
and order in the whole land so that
progress may be as effective and as
rapid as possible”.
“As part of the political settlement of
transfer of power, the force passed on
to the Central control and since then it
has been used by us in various states
whenever demands of law and order
justified its use. This force, with further
augmentation, partly to meet up the
depletion on account of the partition
and partly to meet the growing
demands from the States and Unions
has performed most useful functions
and has been a very good reserve force,
which has been sent from time to time
in aid of local forces. In Junagarh, on the
borders of Jaisalmer, in Mayurbhanj,
in Saurashtra and elsewhere it has
been stabilizing influence, whenever
any threat to security has manifested
itself”.
Sardar Patel further added – “This little
force which we had, came in very handy
and it did very useful work also. But it
is small and had to be augmented. We
have done our best in this direction
and it is still being increased”.
India’s Iron Man’s dream and message
proved to be prophetic. The Crown
Representative’s Police became Central
Reserve Police Force and one of the
armed forces of the Union and its scope
of duty extended to all over India. The
members of the force were clothed
with certain powers connected with
Central Reserve Police Force
Central 73 Years Reserve of Dedicated Police Force Service
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73 Years of Glorious Existence
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