A group of serving paramilitary officers has written to Union home minister Amit Shah requesting him to reconsider the proposed armed police forces bill, saying it would reduce them to “second-class citizens” within the organisation.

Sources said the officers argued that the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, had led to widespread resentment among serving and retired personnel of the five central armed forces — the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB and the CISF.

The bill, which seeks to retain the dominance of IPS officers on deputation in the CAPFs, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha last week. The bill’s proposals counter a Supreme Court ruling.

The bill provides that to appoint officers from the Indian Police Service in the CAPFs, 50 per cent of the posts will be filled by deputation in the rank of inspector-general and a minimum of 67 per cent of the posts by deputation in the rank of additional director-general. Posts in the ranks of special director-general and director-general shall be filled by deputation only,
it says.

The five CAPFs, having a combined strength of about 10 lakh, are deployed for various law-and-order duties, internal security tasks like guarding borders, countering terrorism and insurgency and conducting elections.

In their letter, the paramilitary officers flagged that the bill’s provisions are “oppressive” and that it will be “impossible” for them to continue in the service with “self-respect” if “deputation” and “administrative protection” take precedence over “expertise” and “field experience”. They requested Shah to have a relook before the bill is passed.

The officers said the bill would lead to “demoralisation” among cadre officers and pose a potential “danger” to their financial security.

On Monday, Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha slammed the government for attempting to negate the apex court ruling to progressively reduce deputation of IPS officers in the central armed police forces by bringing a new legislation. They demanded that either the bill be referred to a select committee of Parliament or that it incorporate the amendments proposed by the Opposition.

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva pointed out that in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the anomaly in the CAPF cadre structures would be addressed and whatever the Supreme Court had laid down would be followed by the government. But this was not followed up on, Siva said.

“In May 2025, the Supreme Court very clearly gave a judgment that, within two years, the home ministry would have to phase out the deputation of IPS officers in the CAPF and enable their own officers to be in that rank,” Siva said.

Trinamool Congress’s Nadimul Haque said that instead of strengthening institutions, this bill weakens the legislature and undermines the judiciary.