Sashastra seema bal
Encyclopedia
Sashastra Seema Bal or SSB (Devanāgarī
: सशस्त्र सीमा बल, English
: the Armed Border Force) is one of India's Central Armed Police Forces
. It is often referred to as a paramilitary
force (although it is not one of the three officially defined paramilitary forces of India). It is currently under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), Government of India
. It was formerly known as the Special Service Bureau.
It was specifically created as the brainchild of Indian think tank
to counter the Chinese. It was believed that militarily, the Chinese were superior to India and in the event of a war, the Chinese would again overwhelm Indian forces. So in 1963 a unique force was created, which would in the event of Chinese occupation merge with the border population, donning civilian attire,working a parallel administration and carry out the war of India with the help of Guerrilla tactics
. The SSB came out to be successful which was evident by the success it achieved by training Mukti Bahini
in Bangladesh
and other places, COIN Op's in North East, and providing security at high peaks during 1971 and Kargil war.
From the Cabinet, SSB was transferred to Ministry of Home Affairs
and assigned the duties of manning the Nepal
and Bhutan
borders. SSB is a Border Guarding Force (BGF) under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In the forty years of its existence, SSB endeavoured to present a benign face of the government among border populace in the far flung and inaccessible areas subscribing to the ETHOS of Service, Security and Brotherhood. The local populace always found SSB standing steadfastly with them during difficult times.
Pursuant to the recommendations of the Group of Ministers on reforming the National Security System, SSB was declared as a border guarding force and lead intelligence agency (LIA) for Indo-Nepal border (January, 2001) and assigned the task of guarding the 1751 km long Indo-Nepal border along the statesof Uttaranchal, (263.7 km - Distts. 03), Uttar Pradesh (599.3 km - Distts. 07), Bihar (800.4 km - Distts.-07), West Bengal (105.6 km - Distt-01) and Sikkim (99 km). In March 2004, SSB was assigned the task of guarding the 669 km stretch of Indo-Bhutan border along the states of Sikkim- (32 km), West Bengal ( 183 km - Distts.-02),
Assam (267 km - Distts.-04) and, Arunachal Pradesh (217 km - Distts.-02)
Since then SSB was re-christened into Sashastra Seema Bal and reached new heights. SSB is the first border guarding force which has decided to recruit women battalions.
SSB has departments of Telecom, Armour, Medical, Veterinary, MT, Clerical, General Duty, Intelligence, Operations, Personnel, Computer and Cipher and Legal.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: सशस्त्र सीमा बल, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: the Armed Border Force) is one of India's Central Armed Police Forces
Central Armed Police Forces
The Central Armed Police Forces are the following eight police forces of the central government of India:* Central Reserve Police Force: The largest of the Central Armed Police Forces...
. It is often referred to as a paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
force (although it is not one of the three officially defined paramilitary forces of India). It is currently under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
Ministry of Home Affairs , known as the Home Ministry or MHA, is an Indian government ministry. It is an interior ministry mainly responsible for the maintenance of Internal security and domestic policy.-Ministerial Team:...
(MHA), Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. It was formerly known as the Special Service Bureau.
History
SSB was set up in early 1963 in the wake of the Indo-China conflict to inculcate feelings of national belonging in the border population and develop their capabilities for resistance through a continuous process of motivation, training, development, welfare programmes and activities in the then NEFA, North Assam, North Bengal, hills of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. The scheme was later extended to Manipur, Tripura, Jammu (1965), Meghalaya (1975), Sikkim (1976), border areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat (1989), Manipur, Mizoram and some more areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat (1988), South Bengal, Nagaland (1989) and Nubra Valley, Rajouri and Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir (1991).It was specifically created as the brainchild of Indian think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
to counter the Chinese. It was believed that militarily, the Chinese were superior to India and in the event of a war, the Chinese would again overwhelm Indian forces. So in 1963 a unique force was created, which would in the event of Chinese occupation merge with the border population, donning civilian attire,working a parallel administration and carry out the war of India with the help of Guerrilla tactics
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
. The SSB came out to be successful which was evident by the success it achieved by training Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs, collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on...
in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and other places, COIN Op's in North East, and providing security at high peaks during 1971 and Kargil war.
From the Cabinet, SSB was transferred to Ministry of Home Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
Ministry of Home Affairs , known as the Home Ministry or MHA, is an Indian government ministry. It is an interior ministry mainly responsible for the maintenance of Internal security and domestic policy.-Ministerial Team:...
and assigned the duties of manning the Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
borders. SSB is a Border Guarding Force (BGF) under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In the forty years of its existence, SSB endeavoured to present a benign face of the government among border populace in the far flung and inaccessible areas subscribing to the ETHOS of Service, Security and Brotherhood. The local populace always found SSB standing steadfastly with them during difficult times.
Pursuant to the recommendations of the Group of Ministers on reforming the National Security System, SSB was declared as a border guarding force and lead intelligence agency (LIA) for Indo-Nepal border (January, 2001) and assigned the task of guarding the 1751 km long Indo-Nepal border along the statesof Uttaranchal, (263.7 km - Distts. 03), Uttar Pradesh (599.3 km - Distts. 07), Bihar (800.4 km - Distts.-07), West Bengal (105.6 km - Distt-01) and Sikkim (99 km). In March 2004, SSB was assigned the task of guarding the 669 km stretch of Indo-Bhutan border along the states of Sikkim- (32 km), West Bengal ( 183 km - Distts.-02),
Assam (267 km - Distts.-04) and, Arunachal Pradesh (217 km - Distts.-02)
Since then SSB was re-christened into Sashastra Seema Bal and reached new heights. SSB is the first border guarding force which has decided to recruit women battalions.
Organization
The highest-level headquarter of the force is the Force Headquarters (FHQ), also called the Directorate General of SSB, located in New Delhi. Force Headquarter (FHQ) is commanded by an officer of the rank of Director General. Frontier headquarters (FTR HQ) is commanded by an officer of the rank of Inspector General comes next in chain of command after FHQ. FTR HQR in turn exercises command and control over the sector HQs. There are Five FTR HQRs situated at Ranikhet ,Lucknow, Patna, Siliguri and Guwahati. The Sector HQs are commanded by Officers of the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG). The Sector HQ exercises direct command and control over the SSB Battalions deployed in its area of responsibility along Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders.SSB has departments of Telecom, Armour, Medical, Veterinary, MT, Clerical, General Duty, Intelligence, Operations, Personnel, Computer and Cipher and Legal.