Guest Column | Leadership Dilemma

What is the function of leadership in a hierarchical organisation like the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)? The leadership function is to command men in such a way to obtain their willing obedience, confidence, respect and loyal cooperation in order to accomplish the task and mission. However, to obtain their respect and willing cooperation, the leadership has to be regimented, born and brought up in the organisational environment to understand difficulties of men on ground, their desires, needs and expectations from the leadership. The hierarchy has to be born, groomed, trained and brought up in a manner that it grows with men it has to command. The leadership should not be imposed/ para-dropped. Such leadership creates confusion and dilemma in the minds of men who are the cutting edge to accomplish assigned role and task.

Considering the above, let us analyse the status of leadership in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). All CAPFs have a dual system of leadership:

Troops are commanded by regimented leadership. Regimented leadership understands force ethos, culture, difficulties and frustrations of men since both swim and sink together. Both have their loyalty vested in the unit, regiment and nation and both work for organisational and national good. It is the Herculean efforts of this leadership that our national borders are safe, secure and their sanctity intact. People in the border areas trust them. Regimented leadership has ensured that internal peace is maintained despite democratic aberrations of underdevelopment, discrimination and regional imbalances.

The second type of leadership is para-dropped. It comprises mainly Indian Police Service (IPS) officers who join CAPFs after putting in about 15-17 years of service in state police. They come on deputation in the rank of deputy inspector general (DIG), inspector general (IG), Additional Director General (ADG), and Director General (DG). This leadership is disconnected from following:

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