Railway Protection Force

Railway Protection Force (RPF)
रेलवे सुरक्षा बल
Railway Protection Force (RPF); रेलवे सुरक्षा बल
	Flag of RPF
Abbreviation	RPF
Motto	यशो लभस्व(Sanskrit); "Attain Honour"
Agency overview
Formed	2 July 1872
Employees	75,000 active personnel
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency	IN
Operations jurisdiction	IN
Governing body	Ministry of Railways, Government of India
Constituting instrument	RPF Act, 1957;
General nature	Federal law enforcement ;
Operational structure
Headquarters	New Delhi, India
Minister responsible	Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways ;
Agency executive	Manoj Yadava, IPS, Director General, RPF;
Zones	18
Website
	indianrailways.gov.in

Last updated December 03, 2024

Railway Protection Force (RPF) is an armed force of the Union^[2] under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. The force was established by the RPF Act, 1957,^[3] enacted by the Indian Parliament for "the better protection and security of railway property and passenger area". It has the power to search, arrest, enquire, and prosecute offenses committed under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act 1966 and the Railways Act, 1989 (amended from time to time). RPF has also been entrusted with the responsibility of security of railway passenger area and railway passengers since 2004. However the power of arrests under other penal laws rests in the hands of the Government Railway Police (GRP) of each state.^[4]

History

(1854-1861)

The maintenance and security of Railways, the vital artery of national communication and economic progress has been a major concern of the Government of India that goes back to the times when the Railway commenced their operations in India in 1854. Since railways have a linear territory traversing inter-state lines, a foolproof security system has been hard to provide. Nevertheless, the genesis of such an endeavor can be traced back to 1854 when East Indian Railways employed certain staff designated as ‘Police’ to denote its own force by enacting the Police Act, 1861 and deployed a contingent for the security of the railway with the owner companies bearing their upkeep. The Railway Companies exercised full control over the Police Force.^[6]

(1861-1956)

On the recommendation of Railway Police Committee, 1872, Railway Police was organized into ‘Govt. Police’ (The precursor of GRP) for Law enforcement and ‘Company Police’ (The precursor of RPF) for Watch and Ward duties in Railways. The actual separation of duties came into effect in 1881. By 1882, as a result of formal division of the Police Force deployed on the railways into “Government Police” and “Private (Companies) Police”, the Railway Companies directly assumed the responsibility of protection and Security of their property as well as of the goods entrusted to them by public for carriage. For this, they appointed “Chowkidars” for various departments and placed them under control of their local departmental heads. With an increase in commercial traffic and consequential steep rise in the incidence of theft of goods entrusted to railways for carriage, the “Chowkidar” system was reorganized after the first World War onto Watch & Ward organization under a single superior officer designated as Superintendent, Watch & Ward – a system which continued up to 1954.Thus the Railway Police Administration functioned under three different systems viz the district system, as a part of District Police; the provincial system, for each province and the Railway Administration system, separate Railway Police for each Railway Administration in spite of recommendations of Indian Police commission, 1902-03. The provincial system found acceptance on recommendation of Railway Police Committee, 1921 and the present GRP came into existence. The ‘Company Police’ evolved into present RPF in 1957 passing through "Watch and Ward" phase from 1872-1954, and as "Railway Security Force" from 1954-1956. RPF was also given limited legal powers under Railway Stores (Unlawful Possession) Act.^[7]

(1957-1985)

Thus, for a full 100 years, the Force though being used for providing security to the vital artery of national communication and economic progress did not itself have any legislative status. Therefore the Govt. instituted a special enquiry through Director, Intelligence Bureau (Ministry of Home Affairs) who in his report in 1954 forcefully brought out the necessity of organising the Watch & Ward on a statutory basis. The Railway Board also appointed a Security Adviser to the Railway Board in July, 1953 to work out the details for the reorganisation of the Watch & Ward department. It was decided in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs that there should be an integrated well organised force on the model of the Police with adequate supervisory staff specially trained to meet the particular aspects of crime that were relevant to Railway property and to work in close collaboration and act as a second line to the States Police with whom, under the Constitution, policing on Railways rested. This led to the R.P.F. Bill for the better protection and security. It was only on 29 August 1957 that a Railway Protection Force Act was enacted by the Parliament and Railway Security Force was renamed as Railway Protection Force. The RPF Rules were made on 10 September 1959 and RPF Regulations wee formulated in 1966.In the meantime in 1962 “Special Emergency Force” has been raised from the existing strength of RPF during Chinese Aggression, which was especially entrusted the task to protect trains in border districts. In 1965 it has been renamed as “Railway Protection Special Force”. In 1966 RPF has been given legal powers for better protection of Railway property by enacting Railway Property (Unlawful Possession.) Act.^[8]

But, while the provisions of RPF Act were soon found wanting for the maintenance of an effective and disciplined Force, the RPF Rules and Regulations too were found judicially unsound. The RPF Act, 1957 was accordingly modified by Parliament vide Act No.60 of 1985 on 20 September 1985 for the constitution and maintenance of the Force as an armed force of the Union. For carrying out the purposes of the Act, RPF Rules 1987 was framed.

(2010–2024)

The percentage of women in the RPF is the highest among all central paramilitary forces in India. It stands at 10% as of March 2019.^[9]^[10]

Jurisdiction

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is endowed with significant authority to enforce legal provisions pertaining to railway property and operations. Specifically, the RPF possesses the power to arrest, investigate, and prosecute individuals found in violation of The Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act and The Railways Act.

Moreover, in 2019, the RPF was granted additional empowerment under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, allowing officers to undertake search, seizure, and arrest activities in relation to drug-related offenses. Notably, officers holding the rank of Assistant Sub Inspector and above within the RPF hierarchy are authorized to exercise the powers and fulfill the duties outlined in section 42 of the NDPS Act within their respective jurisdictions.^[11]

Any crime that takes place in the railway jurisdiction falls under the Government Railway Police, which is part of the respective State Police Force. The responsibilities of the Railway Police include the maintenance of law and order, prevention and detection of crimes, as well as investigation and policing on railways and railway premises, including running trains.^[12]

Structure (Gazetted officers)

The Gazetted IRPFS Officers utilise a similar rank structure to the IPS (Indian Police Service). Non-Gazetted ranks are the same as those used in the State Police Services. The job profile differs for each position ^[13]

Grade	RPF Position	Equivalent Position or Designation in the Government of India (GOI)
Above Super Time Scale (Apex Scale)	Director General of RPF (DG, RPF)	Director General (GOI), Secretary (R) in Cabinet Secretariat (GOI), Director General in CAPFs, Lieutenant-General (three-star rank).
Above Super Time Scale (HAG) (Pay-Band-4)	Additional Director General (ADG)	Additional Director General of Police, Commissioner of Police (City), Special or Additional Director (GOI), Special or Additional Secretary (R) Cabinet Secretariat (GOI), ADG in CAPFs.
Super Time Scale (Senior Administrative Grade) (Pay-Band-4) (IG after 5 years of service as DIG)	Principal Chief Security Commissioner (PCSC) or Inspector-General (IG), Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF)	Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police (City), Joint Secretary if empaneled as such (R) Cabinet Secretariat (GOI), IG of CAPFs. Major-General (two-star rank).
Super Time Scale (DIG/Conservator Grade) (Pay-Band-4) (DIG after 5 years of service as Sr. DSC/Sr. Commandant RPSF)	Chief Security Commissioner (CSC) Deputy Inspector-General (DIG), RPSF	, Director (R) Cabinet Secretariat (GOI), DIG in CAPFs. Brigadier (one-star rank).
Selection Grade (Pay-Band-4) (After 8 years of service as DSC/Commandant RPSF)	Deputy Chief Security Commissioner (Dy.CSC) (Zone) Sr. Security Commissioner, Sr. Divisional Security Commissioner (Sr.DSC) (Division) Sr. Commandant RPSF	Senior Superintendent of Police, Director (R) Cabinet Secretariat (GOI), Senior Commandants of CAPFs. Colonel.
Senior Time Scale (Pay-Band-3) (After 5 years of service in cadre)	Divisional Security Commissioner (Division) Security Commissioner RPF Commandant RPSF	Superintendent of Police, Commandants of CAPFs. Lieutenant Colonel (pay grade).
Junior Time Scale (Pay-Band-3)	Assistant Security Commissioner (ASC) ASC (Division) Assistant Commandant RPSF/Adjutant	Assistant Superintendent of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Circle Officer, Senior Field Officer (R) Cabinet Secretariat. Lieutenant/Major (pay grade).

Ranks

Gazetted Officers

Rank group

General / flag officers

Senior officers

Junior officers

Railway Protection Force

Director general

Additional director general

Inspector general/
Principal chief security commissioner

Deputy inspector general/
Chief security commissioner

Senior commandant/
Senior divisional security commissioner

Commandant/
Divisional security commissioner

Assistant commandant/
Assistant security commissioner

Police equivalent

Director General (DGP)

Additional Director General (ADG)

Inspector General (IG)

Deputy Inspector General (DIG)

Senior Superintendent (SSP)

Superintendent (SP)

Additional Superintendent (ASP)

ACP/ DSP

Non-gazetted officers

Rank group	Junior commissioned officers										Non commissioned officers																		Enlisted
Railway Protection Force v t e																													No insignia
Railway Protection Force v t e							Inspector निरीक्षक	Sub inspector उप निरीक्षक	Assistant sub-inspector सहायक उप निरीक्षक		Head constable हवलदार																		Constable -

Weapons

RPF personnel are trained and equipped with a variety of firearms, including pistols, carbines, assault rifles, self-loading rifles (SLRs), and light machine guns. According to a 2011 Railway Board order, personnel of the rank of assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and above are issued 9mm pistols. For head constables, 15% receive AK-47 rifles, 20% are equipped with INSAS rifles, and 10% with SLRs, while the remainder are armed with carbines and pistols. Among Constables, 10% are given AK-47 rifles, 25% INSAS rifles, 15% SLRs, and the rest are issued carbines and pistols. In the RPSF, Head Constables receive 30% AK-47s, 40% INSAS rifles, and the remaining are provided with pistols and carbines. RPSF Constables are primarily equipped with INSAS rifles (55%), with 20% receiving AK-47s and the rest receiving pistols and carbines. All trained drivers, regardless of rank, are issued 9mm pistols.^[14]

Governance

The governance of RPF is based on the following^[3] relevant legislation, rules and directives.

Railway Protection Force Act, 1957
Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1966
Railway Protection Force Rules, 1987 – Laid, by the central government, as per provisions under RPF Act, 1957.
Railway Protection Force Directives, 1987

Command Structure^[13]
Designation – Superior Officers
HQ	Zonal HQ	Division	Battalion
Director General (DG)
Additional Director General Inspector General	Principal Chief Security Commissioner		Principal Chief Security Commissioner/RPSF
	Chief Security Commissioner		Chief Security Commissioner/RPSF
	Dy. Chief Security Commissioner/Senior Security Commissioner	Senior Divisional Security Commissioner (Sr. DSC)	Sr. Commandant
		Divisional Security Commissioner (DSC)	Commandant
	Assistant Security Commissioner (ASC)	Assistant Security Commissioner (ASC)	Assistant Commandant / Adjutant


Designation – Subordinate Officers and below
Inspector
Sub-Inspector
Assistant Sub-Inspector
Driver / Head Constable
Constable

Units under RPF^[15]
Unit
Breeding and Training Center for police dogs
Central Crime Bureau
Central Weapons Store
Crime Intelligence wing
Special Intelligence Branch
Cyber Cell Branch

Recruitment

All the officers of Railway Protection Force are members of the Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS) and are either recruited through UPSC Civil Services Examination or get promoted from Non-Gazetted ranks to Officer Ranks by time bound promotions. They are recruited as Group-A Central Civil Servants. However, the post of Director-General of RPF is held on deputation by a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. Recruitment also occurs for various posts like sub-inspectors and constables. Such recruitments are conducted through various exams held by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.^{[ citation needed ]}

Related Research Articles

British Transport Police is a national special police force that polices the railway network of England, Wales and Scotland. The force polices more than 10,000 miles of track and more than 3,000 stations and depots.

The Border Security Force (BSF) is a central armed police force in India 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-Pakistani War of 1965 to ensure the security of India’s borders and for related matters. All officers and subordinate staff are trained at the BSF Academy in Tekanpur near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.

The Indian Police Service is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Empire.

Railroad police or railway police are people responsible for the protection of railroad properties, facilities, revenue, equipment, and personnel, as well as carried passengers and cargo. Railroad police may also patrol public rail transit systems.

Transit police are specialized police agencies employed either by a common carrier, such as a transit district, railway, railroad, bus line, or another mass transit provider or municipality, county, district, or state.

Law enforcement in India is imperative to keep justice and order in the nation. Indian law is enforced by a number of agencies. India has a multi-layered law enforcement structure with both federal and state/union territory level agencies, including specialized ones with specific jurisdictions. Unlike many federal nations, the constitution of India delegates the maintenance of law and order primarily to the states and territories.

Security police usually describes a law enforcement agency which focuses primarily on providing security and law enforcement services to particular areas or specific properties. They may be employed by governmental, public, or private institutions. Security police are generally considered distinct from security guards as security police personnel typically hold some level of law enforcement authority. The exact powers held by security police vary widely between jurisdictions. Examples of these types of agencies include the United States' DoD Police and FBI Police, the Indian Central Industrial Security Force, and the British Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

The Punjab Police is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the state of Punjab, India. The Punjab Police has a broad array of specialised services, including the prevention and detection of crime, maintenance of law and order and the enforcement of the Constitution of India. Its headquarters are located at Jan Marg, Chandigarh. On 7 September 2011, Punjab Police started a video conferencing service to redress problems of NRIs. The present DGP of the Punjab Police is Gaurav Yadav. He is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1992 batch.

The INSAS, or Indian Small Arms System, is a family of infantry arms consisting of an assault rifle and a light machine gun (LMG). These weapons were developed in India by the Armament Research and Development Establishment and manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board at its various factories. It was the standard infantry weapon of the Indian Armed Forces for almost three decades.

India maintains 10 paramilitary forces.

The West Bengal Police is one of the two police forces of the Indian state of West Bengal. The other being the Kolkata Police, which has a separate jurisdiction across Kolkata. It comes under Department of Home and Hill Affairs.

The Odisha Police abbreviated as either OP or OPS, is the law enforcement agency for the state of Odisha in India. It is headquartered in Cuttack, the former capital of Odisha. The Odisha Police is headed by a Director General of Police, currently Y.B. Khurania, IPS and falls under the purview of the state's Home Department of the Government of Odisha. The sanctioned personnel strength of Odisha Police is 72,145; comprising women as one-third of its total sanctioned strength in the directly recruited posts of civil constable, sub-inspector and deputy superintendent of police. This feat makes it one of the foremost in that aspect among the police services of India.

Greyhounds is a police special forces unit of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Police departments in India. Greyhounds specialises in counter-insurgency operations against Naxalite and Maoist terrorists.

The Bihar Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Bihar, India, with its headquarters in Patna. It has a sanctioned strength of 111,000 personnel, and as of 2017, employs 77,000 personnel.

In India, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) is the collective designation for the central police organizations under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Since 2011, the term "central armed police forces" has been adopted, replacing the term "paramilitary." The CAPF is responsible for internal security and border protection. Each force within the CAPF is led by a Director General (DG), typically an officer from the Indian Police Service (IPS), with the exception of the Assam Rifles, which is headed by a Lieutenant General-ranked officer from the Indian Army.

The State Armed Police Forces of India are the police units established for dealing with serious law and order situations requiring a higher level of armed expertise than normal. The State Armed Police Forces exist in addition to the ordinary police services of the various states.

Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT), also called Ordnance Factory Trichy, is a small arms factory operated by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited based in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, which was previously part of Ordnance Factory Board of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. The company is headed only by an IOFS officer called General Manager (ex officio Additional Secretary to Government of India) who is the chief executive officer, responsible for the overall management of the company.

Patna Police is the police service responsible for law enforcement within Patna district, including the capital city of Patna in an Indian state of Bihar. Patna Police is the largest police service in the state. Its headquarters are at Gandhi Maidan Marg in Patna. The present SSP of Patna Police is Rajeev Mishra (IPS).

The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperament, Firm in Action" in Sanskrit. It operates under the Department of Home, Government of Kerala. The force is headed by the State Police Chief, and the incumbent chief is Shaikh Darvesh Sahib, IPS.

Government Railway Police (GRP), or simply Railway Police, are branches of the state police forces in India responsible for maintaining law and order, as well as preventing and detecting crimes in railway premises and trains. Its duties correspond to those of the district police in the areas under their jurisdiction.

References

↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
↑ https://nwr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1331705691014-RPF_Act1957.pdf ^{[ bare URL ]}
1 2 "Railway Protection Force Act" (PDF). www.nwr.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
↑ Press Trust of India. "MoS Railways dubs Railway Protection Force as 'toothless', demands more power for it". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
↑ "New Haryana DGP: With Yadava named RPF head, state to take up empanelment of IPS officers with Centre". Hindustan Times. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
↑ "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)".
↑ "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)".
↑ "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)".
↑ Srivastava, Anushika (8 January 2020). "Railway Protection Force Has Highest Number Of Women Personnel". SheThePeople TV. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
↑ "What Led to Railway Cop Shooting 4 Dead on Train? His Colleague's Account".
↑ Rajaram, R. (26 May 2019). "Centre empowers RPF officers to exercise powers under NDPS Act". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X . Retrieved 3 March 2024.
↑ "Roles and Responsibilities of the Government Railway Police (GRP), Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)". indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
1 2 "Service Profile for Group "A" Officers in Railway Protection Force" (PDF). RPF. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
↑ Khan, Muneef (4 August 2023). "Train shooting puts focus on RPF. All about the force & what it does". ThePrint . Retrieved 2 December 2024.
↑ "RPF rules" (PDF). www.indianrailways.gov.in. 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2021.

External links

Official website of the Railway Protection Force

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[2] ttps://nwr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1331705691014-RPF_Act1957.pdf ^{[ bare URL ]}

[:0-3] 1 2 "Railway Protection Force Act" (PDF). www.nwr.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 15 April 2021.

[4] Press Trust of India. "MoS Railways dubs Railway Protection Force as 'toothless', demands more power for it". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.

[5] "New Haryana DGP: With Yadava named RPF head, state to take up empanelment of IPS officers with Centre". Hindustan Times. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.

[6] "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)".

[7] "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)".

[8] "Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)".

[9] Srivastava, Anushika (8 January 2020). "Railway Protection Force Has Highest Number Of Women Personnel". SheThePeople TV. Retrieved 9 January 2020.

[10] "What Led to Railway Cop Shooting 4 Dead on Train? His Colleague's Account".

[11] Rajaram, R. (26 May 2019). "Centre empowers RPF officers to exercise powers under NDPS Act". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X . Retrieved 3 March 2024.

[12] "Roles and Responsibilities of the Government Railway Police (GRP), Ministry of Railways (Railway Board)". indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2024.

[:2-13] 1 2 "Service Profile for Group "A" Officers in Railway Protection Force" (PDF). RPF. Retrieved 2 August 2015.

[14] Khan, Muneef (4 August 2023). "Train shooting puts focus on RPF. All about the force & what it does". ThePrint . Retrieved 2 December 2024.

[:1-15] "RPF rules" (PDF). www.indianrailways.gov.in. 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]