96K CAPF personnel took VRS, quit in decade: MHA

Mukesh Ranjan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 16

Over 96,000 personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including BSF, CRPF and ITBP, took voluntary retirement or resigned in the past 10 years, according to the data recently prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The MHA data said 81,007 personnel took voluntary retirement between 2011and 2021 of which the maximum of 11,728 exited the forces in 2017.

Reasons: Family issues, career growth

Though the MHA did not specify any reason for the exodus from the CAPFs, a separate analysis done by the respective forces attributed it to personal and family issues, health reasons and better career opportunities.

Under a separate column, the MHA revealed that 15,904 personnel of CAPFs resigned during the same period. As many as 2,332 left the forces in 2013. The MHA document, though, did not specify any reason the exodus from the CAPFs, a separate analysis done by the respective forces attributed it to personal and family issues, health reasons and better career opportunities. The MHA data has been compiled with respect to six CAPFs — BSF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal), CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) and Assam Rifles.

The highest among all forces — 36,768 personnel — have taken voluntary retirement from the BSF in the past decade, followed by the CRPF (26,164 personnel), CISF (6,705), Assam Rifles (4,947), SSB (3,230) and ITBP (3,193).

According to the data, of the 15,904 personnel who resigned in the past decade, the highest was in the CISF (5,848), followed by BSF (3,837), CRPF (3,366), ITBP (1,648), SSB (1,031) and Assam Rifles (174).

The total strength of the six CAPFs is around 10 lakh, as the CRPF is engaged in internal security, which include law and order, operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast besides for anti-Naxal operations.

The BSF is primarily deployed for guarding the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders besides in internal security duties. The CISF is primarily deployed at vital installations like airports, metro services, atomic and key industrial plants and government buildings.

The ITBP is deployed at the Sino-India border while the SSB guards the India-Nepal and India-Bhutan borders. The Assam Rifles guards the India-Myanmar border.