Central Industrial Security Force

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. CISF's primary mission is to provide security to large institutions, be it state or privately-owned.
It was set up under an Act of the Parliament of India on 15 March 1969 with a strength of 2,800. CISF was subsequently formally authorized by another Act of Parliament passed on 15 June 1983. Its current active strength is 148,371 personnel. In April 2017, the government raised the sanctioned strength from 145,000 to 180,000 personnel. Recently the strength has been increased to 200,000.
Among its duties are guarding sensitive governmental buildings, Parliament complex, the Delhi Metro, and providing airport security.
CISF also provides consultancy services to private industries as well as other organisations within the Indian government. The scope of CISF's consulting practice includes security consulting and fire protection consulting.
It also plays a major role in Disaster Management. The CISF has a 'Fire Wing' which helps during fire accidents in Industries where the CISF is on guard.
It was set up under an act of Parliament on 10 March 1969 with a strength of around 188,000 personnel and as the name suggests, it was created for the better protection and security of industrial undertakings in the country. There was a limitation though, that industries to be provided protection should be wholly owned by the central government, which has since been modified so that the industries can now be a joint venture with the central government. However, the role of CISF has undergone diversification and it now also protects airports, seaports, metro rail networks, government buildings, heritage monuments (including the Taj Mahal and Red Fort), opium and alkaloids extractions, nuclear power plants, and space installations. It also specialises in VIP security as well as disaster management. At present CISF undertakes duties concerning internal security, elections, anti Naxal operations and every other duty that the Government of India gives them.
The CISF is headed by an Indian Police Service officer with the rank of Director-General, assisted by an IPS officer in the rank of Addl. Director-General. The force is divided into Nine Sectors (Airport, North, North-East, East, West, South, Training, South-East, Central) and also has a Fire Service Wing.
The Airport Sector is commanded by an IPS officer in the rank of Addl. Director-General, assisted by an Inspector-General. The Airport Sector is divided into a number of Field Formation Units, one for each airport. Units at major international airports are commanded by a Deputy Inspector-General or Commandant; units at smaller airports by a Deputy or Assistant Commandant. The other six Sectors are each commanded by an Inspector-General, who is assisted by a Deputy Inspector-General.
The seven regional Sectors are divided into Zones, each commanded by a Deputy Inspector-General. Within each Zone are a number of Units, each under the command of a Commandant, or a DIG for certain major Units. A Deputy Commandant serves as the second-in-command of most units, or as the head of a smaller unit. Within the Training Sector, the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) is headed by an Inspector-General; the Fire Service Training Institute (FSTI) and six other recruit training centres are headed by Deputy Inspectors General.
The Financial Adviser of the CISF has been an Indian Revenue Service officer of the rank of Director and also has Dy Advisers from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service and Indian Civil Account Service.
Being a central Indian police agency and having high presence of Indian Police Service officers, CISF follows ranks and insignia similar to other police organisations in India. Non-gazetted (enrolled) officers and members use the same ranks as other Indian police forces.
The Indian Parliament on 25 February 2009, authorised the provision of Central Industrial Security Force security to private and cooperative establishments across the country for a fee with the passage of the CISF (Amendment) Bill, 2008.
The Bill, which was passed by Rajya Sabha on 19 February and Lok Sabha on 25 February 2009, also provides for deployment of CISF to protect Indian missions abroad and its participation in the UN peacekeeping operations.
CISF started providing security to the Infosys Bengaluru campus on 31 July 2009. The Infosys in Mysuru, the Reliance Jamnagar Refinery and the Delhi Metro Airport Express Line are the latest additions to the list of private sector establishments to be placed under CISF cover. Manish Kumar Rai, Assistant Commandant, led the first contingent of CISF deployed at Infosys Bengaluru.
CISF has also started providing security to the Infosys Pune campus from 21 April 2011.
In 2016, the Patanjali Food and Herbal Park received 35 full-time, armed Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) commandos. The park was the eighth private institute in India to be guarded by paramilitary CISF forces.
In 2019, the then Vice-Chancellor of Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, has asked the Central Government to permanently deploy Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel on its campus. On 13 November 2019, Union Home Ministry has accorded its approval for deployment of the CISF at the Visva-Bharati University. It was also said that CISF will soon constitute a 'board of officers' who will conduct a security audit of the facility at Shantiniketan.
On 21 August 2024, the Supreme Court of India ordered the deployment of the CISF at the R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, due to the attack and vandalism that occurred at the Institution at midnight on 15 August 2024.
The CISF is in charge of airport security at all commercial airports in India. Airport security, in the past, was under the control of airport police (under the relevant state government). However, following the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, the topic of handing over security of the airports to the CISF was first proposed. While this proposal lay low for the next two years, the central government decided to respond to the security threat faced by all major nations of the world after the 2001 terrorist attacks happened in the United States (11 September 2001) and decided to adopt the suggestion. The Jaipur Airport was the first airport that came under the CISF's control on 3 February 2000. Following this, the majority of the commercial airports in India were brought under its purview. As of February 2023, the CISF is protecting a total of 66 international and domestic airports in the country.
Security on the Delhi Metro is handled by the CISF Unit Delhi Metro Rail Corporation of CISF, who have been guarding the system ever since they took over from the Delhi Police in 2007. Closed-circuit cameras are used to monitor trains and stations, and feed from these is monitored by both the CISF and Delhi Metro authorities at their respective control rooms. Over 3500 CISF personnel have been deployed to deal with law and order issues in the system, in addition to metal detectors, x-ray baggage inspection systems and dog squads which are used to secure the system. Intercoms are provided in each train car for emergency communication between the passengers and the driver. Periodic security drills are carried out at stations and on trains to ensure preparedness of security agencies in emergency situations.
From 20 May 2024 onwards CISF has been accorded with the responsibility of securing the parliamentary complex (old and new parliament building) after the withdrawal of PDG (CRPF) and Delhi Police personnel from the Parliamentary Security due to a recent security breach. The CISF will also deploy commandos of its counter terrorism and VIP protection unit (SSG) in the parliament security.
Besides providing protection, safety, and security to industrial undertakings, CISF also offers protection against fire hazards. It is the only Central Armed Police Force having a full-fledged fire service wing, which holds the distinction of being the largest fire-fighting force in the country. CISF's first fire wing unit with a strength of 53 personnel was inducted at Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT), Cochin on 16 April 1970 following the recommendations of a commission headed by Justice B. Mukherjee, which was formed to investigate a major fire at the Heavy Engineering Corporation plant at Ranchi on 29 January 1970. Eventually, the Government of India approved recruitment rules to various posts for the creation of a separate fire service cadre in CISF in January 1991, and accordingly, the Fire Service Cadre started functioning in CISF on 12 January 1991. As of 31 March 2020, the fire wing has been inducted in 104 units, and has a strength of 8482 personnel.
In 2006, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), on the basis of recommendations of the Intelligence Bureau, raised a special unit called Special Security Group (SSG) to provide security cover to people nominated by the Home Ministry. It came into existence on 17 November 2006. This unit is responsible for providing physical protection, evacuation, mobile and static security cover to persons who have been nominated by the Home Ministry. For a person to be eligible for security cover by CISF special unit, the intelligence bureau and other secret police agencies are required to specify the danger after a detailed 'threat analysis', which are often fudged for political and other considerations. In addition to CISF the Government also utilizes the National Security Guard (NSG), CRPF and ITBP for personal security cover.
A contingent of the CISF was deployed at United Nations Stabilizations Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) / United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) since 17 August 2008. It was repatriated to India on 31 December 2018.
On 17 July 2024, the CISF deployed officers alongside the CRPF, SSB, ITBP, NSG and the Assam Rifles to provide security assistance to the Police Nationale and Gendarmerie for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
In 2021, The DIG of CISF said that the dog squad was 'an important component of the force'. The dogs are trained to sniff and identify IEDs and narcotics. While working with the bomb disposal squad they screen the bags left unattended. As of 2021, the CISF team in charge of Chennai International Airport security has nine dogs.