In line of fire: What happens when I salute but you don’t respond?
A few weeks ago Col Pushpinder Singh Batth a serving officer in the Indian Army and his son were mercilessly beaten by three Punjab Police inspectors Harjinder Dhillon, Rony, and Harry Boparai and nine other personnel including their gunmen because of a minor parking dispute in Patiala. A similar incident took place in 1992 when a lieutenant colonel was attacked by Sumedh Singh Saini, the then-senior superintendent of police in Chandigarh. The 1992 incident sparked an outrage in the Army and ex-servicemen community that the Chandigarh SSP lost his post.
The root cause of the problem is that the Punjab government has given so many powers to the Punjab policemen who have become a law unto themselves. According to human right activists over 25,000 people have been killed by the Punjab police in the last nearly one decade. This includes persons “missing” from their homes, killed in “encounters,” cremated as “unidentified” and “escaped from police custody”. The situation is so bad that leave alone the civialians, even serving officers and ex-servicemen can’t live without fear.
Personnel in different uniformed services often have a strong sense of pride in their own force. This leads to feelings of superiority, rivalry, or animosity towards members of other forces. For example, a SSP in the police has a feeling that he is far superior to the Lt Col or Colonel in the army with a far wider area of command though both wear similar rank badges. Likewise army officer have been heard saying that their role in the Army is more demanding than the Police and they deal with many more real life encounters in J&K or North East. This leads to feelings of hostility or animosity between uniformed personnel.
There are many situations when uniformed personnel from different forces—such as the Army, Police, CRPF, CISF, and BSF— start fighting each other leading to friction and conflict between them. The objectives of these forces is to maintain national security, law and order, and public safety, there are times when tensions crop up due to a variety of reasons.
These clashes typically arise due to misunderstandings, jurisdictional disputes, or lack of coordination. While such incidents are rare, here are some notable examples:
Bihar, 2017: Clashes broke out between Army and CRPF personnel in Bihar due to jurisdictional issues and confusion about handling of a law and order situation. This led to a physical confrontation between the two forces.
Uttarakhand, 2019: Local police and CISF personnel clashed with each other in Uttarakhand because of a minor dispute regarding handling of security at an airport. It was reported that CISF personnel, responsible for airport security, had an altercation with the local police officers.
Rajasthan, 2020: BSF and police personnel clashed with each other in Rajasthan due to a dispute over enforcement of lockdown. The situation escalated due to a lack of communication and coordination, leading to tensions between the two forces.
Jammu and Kashmir, 2020: Army, CRPF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police deployed for counterinsurgency operations often get into arguement with each other especially in sensitive areas. These conflicts often occur due to overlapping roles, unclear authority, or misunderstandings of what each of them should do during joint operations.
Like these there have been several incidents where personnel from different uniformed forces such as the Army, Police, CRPF, CISF, and BSF have clashed with each other.
Understanding these causes of conflicts is the key to improving cooperation and fostering better teamwork between the armed forces and the police services.
Different forces and their diverse roles
Indian Armed Forces
Army:
The Indian Army is the land-based branch of the Indian Armed Forces primarily responsible for national defense, peacekeeping, and combat operations. It’s a volunteer force with over 1.2 million active and 960,000 reserve troops, making it the largest standing army in the world. The Army focuses on military operations, including peacekeeping and counterinsurgency. Its primary duty is to ensure national security, defend the nation from external and internal threats. The Indian Army is divided into seven commands, with a division as the basic field formation.
Indian Navy:
The Indian Navy is responsible for ensuring sea-based security and protecting India’s maritime interests. Its responsibilities include protecting India’s coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from external threats, ensuring the safe passage of Indian shipping and trade through the world’s oceans, conducting amphibious landings and operations to support ground forces, monitoring India’s maritime borders and detecting potential threats and providing aid and support during natural disasters and humanitarian crises.
Also Read: CRPF Commandos to replace NSG ‘Black Cats’ for VIP security duties
Indian Air Force (IAF):
The IAF plays a vital role in the country’s defense and security. Its primary responsibilities is to protect the Indian airspace from external threats, destroy or neutralizing enemy air forces and maintain early warning systems for airborne threats. The IAF’s offensive role is to carry out long-range bombing missions against enemy strategic targets, engage enemy aircraft in combat and conduct precision strikes on enemy ground targets. The IAF also provides airlift support for military personnel, equipment, and supplies, conducts aerial reconnaissance and surveillance missions and provides humanitarian support during natural disasters. It also collaborates with other branches of the Indian Armed Forces to achieve common objectives, direects India’s space program and operates satellite-based systems.
Military Police (MP):
It is the law enforcement agenciy within the military, responsible for maintaining law and order, discipline, and security within the military and its installations. Its primary duty is to enforce military laws, and codes of conduct. It investigates crimes and incidents within the military, provides security for military personnel, equipment, and installations, ,amages/controls the traffic within military installations and participates in ceremonial events, such as parades and guard duties.
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
BSF (Border Security Force):
The Border Security Force (BSF) is primarily a border guarding force, responsible for guarding the international borders and maintaining peace and security in the border areas. Their main role is to prevent infiltration of terrorists, smugglers, and other anti-national elements from across the border. They also conduct operations against terrorist groups operating in the border areas and prevent illegal activities, such as smuggling, human trafficking, and narcotics trade.
CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force):
The CRPF is one of the oldest and largest central paramilitary forces, with 247 battalions and over 301,000 personnel. It is primarily deployed for internal security and law enforcement in conflict zones. Its main role is to assist in counterinsurgency, anti-terrorism, and riot control. Established on July 27, 1939, as the Crown Representatives Police, it was later renamed the Central Reserve Police Force by an Act of Parliament in 1949. Its personnel are specialists in VIP Security (governors, chief ministers, and ministers), election security to ensure safe and secure parliamentary and aAssembly elections, crowd/ riot control during large gatherings, protests, and demonstrations, counter-insurgency operations, Left-wing extremism (LWE) in Naxal-affected regions. Its specialized units include the Rapid Action Force (RAF) for riot control and the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) for counter-insurgency operations.
CISF (Central Industrial Security Force):
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a premier central armed police force in India. It is responsible for providing security to critical infrastructure, such as airports, industrial units, oil refineries, power and steel plants. It also provides security at sensitive government buildings.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP):
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a specialized border guarding force, responsible for monitoring and patrolling the Indo-China border to prevent infiltration, smuggling, and other illegal activities. It protects the country’s borders from external threats and maintains the integrity of the border. It also conducts operations against terrorist groups in the border areas to prevent infiltration of terrorists, smugglers, and other anti-national elements from across the border
Assam Rifles (AR):
Assam Rifles (AR) is responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India and Jammu & Kashmir. The Assam Rifles is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and is operationally controlled by the Indian Army. It also guards the Indo-Myanmar border. The Assam Rifles has its roots in 1835 as a militia called the ‘Cachar Levy’ to protect British tea estates and settlements against tribal raids. Its name being changed to Assam Rifles in 1917. The Assam Rifles headquartered in Shillong has a total authorized strength of 65,143 personnel and 46 battalions. It is commanded by a Director General, equivalent to Lieutenant General in the Army.
National Security Guard (NSG):
The National Security Guard (NSG) is an elite counter-terrorism unit of India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It was established in 1984 to combat terrorism and hijackings. Its primary responsibilities include conducting counter-terrorist operations to neutralize terrorist threats, rescuing hostages, VVIP Security to high-ranking government officials and visiting dignitaries and securing critical infrastructure, such as airports, seaports, and nuclear facilities. The NSG is headed by a Director General, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The operational aspects are looked after by a Major General who is incharge of special units, like 51 Special Action Group (an elite counter-terrorism unit), 52 Special Action Group (specializing in hostage rescue and VVIP security) and 11th, 12th, and 13th Regiments for counter-terrorist operations. The NSG Training Centre is based in Manesar, Haryana. The NSG played a key role in Operation Black Thunder (1988), Operation Blue Star (1984) and Mumbai Terrorist Attack (2008).
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB):
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is a border guarding force. It was established in 1963 to secure India’s borders and prevent cross-border crime. Its responsibilities include guarding the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders and prevent cross-border crimes, like smuggling, and other illegal activities. The SSB conducts counter-insurgency operations and maintains law and order in the border areas. to counter insurgent groups and maintains law and order in the border areas. It also provides humanitarian aid to civilians in times of natural disasters and other emergencies. The SSB headquartered in New Delhi has several Frontier Headquarters and battalions, responsible for a specific section of the border.
Paramilitary forces
Coast Guard (CG):
The Indian Coast Guard is a maritime law enforcement as well as search and rescue agency responsible for India’s coastal security and maritime interests. Its key responsibilities include enforcing maritime laws, regulations, and international conventions, conducting search and rescue operations for distressed vessels and personnel, preventing marine pollution, conducting coastal surveillance, monitoring maritime traffic and in general keeping Indian seas free from piracy, smuggling, and terrorism.
Central Police Organizations
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI):
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigative agency of India, responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes that have national and international implications. The CBI was established in 1941 as the Delhi Special Police Establishment (SPE) to investigate cases of corruption and bribery in the government. Today its responsibilities include investigating cyber crimes like hacking, phishing, and online fraud, as well as traditional crimes like corruption, bribery, murder, kidnapping, and terrorism. Investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption and bribery in the government. However its primary role is to investigate cases of corruption and bribery in the government and producing evidence in the courts of law to punish the guilty.
National Investigation Agency (NIA):
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is a premier investigative agency of India, responsible for investigating cases related to terrorism, insurgency, and other national security threats. The NIA was established in 2009, in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Its primary objective is to investigate and prosecute cases related to terrorism, insurgency and other national security threats, prosecuting cases in courts of law, gathering intelligence and conducting counter-terrorist operations. The NIA is headed by a Director General, who is an IPS officer. It has branches in several cities across India and regional offices in several states. The NIA has the power to search and seize properties and documents, investigate cases related to terrorism and insurgency and prosecute cases in courts of law. The NIA has a high conviction rate of over 90% cases resulting in convictions. The NIA has collaborated with various international agencies, such as the FBI and Interpol, to combat terrorism and insurgency and has arrested numerous terrorists and insurgents, disrupting their networks and operations.
State Police Organizations
Police:
Each state maintains its own police that is responsible for law enforcement, enforcing law and order in towns, cities and villages and provides assistance to the public in its respective states or provinces. Its primary focus is on criminal investigations, preventing crimes such as theft, robbery, and homicide and enuring public safety. It is also responsible for maintaining smooth flow of traffic and responding to natural disasters, accidents, and medical emergencies.
Reasons for conflict betweeen the uniformed forces
Lack of understanding and appreciation of each other’s role
A major cause of friction between the forces is a lack of understanding about the role played by each service. Personnel from one force may not fully appreciate the unique challenges or priorities of another force. This can lead to frustration and reluctance to cooperate. For example: Army personnel may think police officers duffers who don’t know how to handle urban combat situations and don’t take their law enforcement duties seriously, while the police officers feel that the Army as too rigid and don’t know how to manage civil disturbances and handle enforcing laws in populated areas. Even the BSF, which operates along national borders, may find it difficult to work with the Army or Police in their areas of jurisdiction. This lack of understanding often leads to altercation and rubbing each other the wrong way. Each force thinks that its own tactics and training is the best and doesn’t appreciate the importance of teamwork and working in tandum or learning from each other’s mistakes.
Also Read: CAPF: Reasons behind the sagging morale
Unequal ranks and authority:
The differing rank structures across the Army, Police, and paramilitary forces can often lead to friction. For example, Army officers may have a higher rank in terms of authority than their counterparts in paramilitary forces like the CRPF or CISF. This discrepancy can cause tension when forces are deployed together on joint operations, as disagreements over who holds command can arise.
Personnel from different services may also feel that their contributions or expertise are undervalued in joint operations, especially if they feel that a less experienced officer from another force is given command.
Different operational goals and training:
Each force has a unique set of objectives, training, and standard operating procedures (SOPs). For instance, the Army is often focused on large-scale strategic operations and combat, while the Police are more concerned with maintaining public law and order. The CRPF might be more attuned to counterinsurgency and handling civil unrest, while the BSF is primarily concerned with border security.
These differences in objectives can sometimes cause tension when multiple forces are involved in the same situation. Misunderstandings can occur when one force prioritizes its approach, causing friction with others who have different methods or strategies.
Stress and high-pressure situations:
Uniformed personnel regularly work in stressful and high-risk environments. Whether it’s in combat zones, during law enforcement duties, or in crisis management scenarios, the pressures of the job can lead to emotional and mental strain. In these high-stakes situations, small misunderstandings or communication failures can quickly escalate into conflicts, especially if personnel are exhausted or under extreme stress.
A lack of mental health support or stress management can further aggravate these tensions, leading to interpersonal conflicts between forces that otherwise share similar goals.
Need for improving cooperation
Understanding the root causes of conflict
Getting to the root of the conflict – rank disparity, operational differences, or stress—helps in addressing the issue. When people from different forces recognize and appreciate the challenges each force faces, it opens the door for better collaboration and mutual respect.
Joint training exercises:
Training can bring together personnel from various forces can help build understanding and trust, allowing them to appreciate each other’s roles and contributions.
Leadership:
Effective leadership plays a key role in bridging the gaps between forces. Leaders must ensure that clear communication channels are maintained, and roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. When personnel know exactly who is in charge and how they are expected to work together, the chances of conflict are reduced.
Conflict Resolution Mechanisms:
Establishing formal mechanisms for addressing disputes can prevent small issues from escalating. Open dialogue, conflict mediation, and team-building activities are essential for fostering collaboration and reducing tension.
Conclusion:
Unequal ranks, differing operational goals, stress, and a lack of clear communication – are some of the common causes of friction between people in uniform, which can contribute to conflicts between the Army, Police, CRPF, CISF, and BSF. As we move forward in this series, we will dive deeper into specific issues like ego, promotion opportunities, and misunderstandings that further fuel these tensions. By addressing these issues head-on, we can work toward a future where uniformed personnel can work more effectively and harmoniously together for the greater good of the nation.
(To be continued)
