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 Governmental or private.
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 made an armed force of India by another Act of Parliament passed on 15 June 1983. Its current active strength is 148,371 personnel.[4] 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.[5] Among its duties are guarding sensitive governmental buildings, the Delhi Metro, and providing airport security.[6] The CISF is governed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, and its headquarters are at New Delhi.
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.
History[edit]
It was set up under an act of Parliament on 10 March 1969 with a strength of around 2,800 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.
CISF protection to Non-Nationalised Industry/ Corporate sector[edit]
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.[10] 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.
[11]
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.
Universities Security[edit]
The 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.[12]
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 Santiniketan.[13]
Security for Delhi Metro[edit]
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.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] Intercoms are provided in each train car for emergency communication between the passengers and the driver.[20] Periodic security drills are carried out at stations and on trains to ensure preparedness of security agencies in emergency situations.[21]
Fire Wing[edit]
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.[22] 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.[23][24]
Overseas Deployment[edit]
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.[32]
Dog Squad[edit]
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 Airport security has nine dogs.[33]
Controversy[edit]
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut was slapped by a female Central Industrial Security Force personnel, identified as Kulwinder Kaur, at Chandigarh Airport. Ranaut, a newly elected Member of Parliament from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, was undergoing a routine security check when the altercation occurred. The cause is unknown. This incident supported by Punjab separatist Group. It raises Question on Security of Passengers on Indian Airports.