The Border Security Force (BSF) is a central armed police force under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding India's borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was formed in the wake of the Indo-Pak War of 1965 to ensure the security of India's borders and for related matters.
The BSF has grown from 25 battalions in 1965, to 193 battalions with a sanctioned strength of 270,000 personnel including an expanding air wing, water wing, an artillery regiment and specialised units. It is currently the world's largest border security force. BSF has been termed the First Line of Defence of Indian territories.
Since India's independence in 1947, the protection of its international boundaries was the responsibility of the local police in each border state, with little inter-state coordination. However, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Pakistan attacked Sardar Post, Char Bet, and Beria Bet on 9 April 1965, in Kutch. This attack exposed the inadequacy of the State Armed Police in coping with armed aggression. Thus, after the war, the government created the Border Security Force as a unified central agency with the specific mandate of guarding India's international borders. This act brought greater cohesion to border security. K F Rustamji, from the Indian Police Service, was the first Director General of the BSF. Since it was a new force, the officers had to be deputed or inducted from outside to fill the various vacancies at different levels until the force's own cadre matured sufficiently. For this reason, emergency commissioned officers and SS officers of the Indian Army were inducted in large numbers into the force, along with IPS officers who were deputed to the force for high-level appointments.
The BSF's capabilities were used in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 against Pakistani forces in areas where the Regular Forces were thinly spread. BSF troops took part in several operations, including the famous Battle of Longewala. In fact, for the BSF the war on the eastern front had started well before the war actually broke out in December 1971. BSF had trained, supported and formed part of Mukti Bahini and had entered erstwhile East Pakistan before the actual hostilities broke out. The BSF played a very important role in the Liberation of Bangladesh, which Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rehman had also acknowledged.
K.F. Rustamji, IPS, was appointed as the first Director General of Border Security Force from 22 July 1965, to 30 September 1972, and the current DG is Praveen Kumar, IPS, since 15 January 2026.
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
2001 Bangladeshi-Indian border skirmishes
2001–2002 Operation Parakram – India-Pakistan Standoff
2013 India-Pakistan Border skirmishes
2014–15 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
2016–2018 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes
Prevention of trans-border crimes, unauthorized entry into or exit from the territory of India.
Prevention of smuggling and any other illegal activities on the border.
Collection of trans-border intelligence.
To promote a sense of security among the people living in the border areas.
Holding ground in assigned sectors.
Limited aggressive action against irregular forces of the enemy.