Home Guards is a voluntary force, first
raised in India in December, 1946, to assist the police
in controlling civil disturbance and communal riots.
Subsequently, the concept of the voluntary citizens
force was adopted by several States. In the wake of
Chinese aggression in 1962, the Centre advised the State
and Union Territories to merge their exiting voluntary
organisation into one uniform voluntary force known
as Home Guards. The role of Home Guards is to serve
as an auxiliary to the police in maintenance of internal
security, help the community in any kind of emergency
such as an air-raid, fire, cyclone, earthquake, epidemic
etc., help in maintenance of essential services, promote
communal harmony and assist the administration in protecting
weaker sections, participate in socio-economic and welfare
activities and perform Civil Defence duties. Home Guards
are of two types - rural and urban. In border States,
Border Wing Home Guards Bns. have also been raised,
which serve as an auxiliary to the Border Security Force.
The total strength of Home Guards in the country is
5,73,793 against which the present raised strength is
4,86,401 HGs. The organisation is spread over in all
States and Union Territories except in Kerala.
Eighteen Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG)
Battalions have been raised in the border States to
serve as an auxiliary to Border Security Force for preventing
infiltration on the international border/coastal areas,
guarding of VA/VPs and lines of communication invulnerable
areas at the time of external aggression. The present
state wise sanctioned of Border Wing Home Guards is
as follows:-
