An Overview of the Special Frontier Force (SFF)

• The SFF was established under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister and initially fell under the operational command of the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Later, it came under the control of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency.
• The headquarters of the SFF is located in Chakrata, Uttarakhand. The first camp was set up 100 km from Dehradun in Chakrata, a mountain town in the foothills of the Himalayas with a large Tibetan refugee population.
• Recruits to the SFF were given six months of intensive training in rock climbing and guerrilla warfare.
• The weapons provided to the SFF were mainly M-1, M-2 and M-3 machine guns, supplied by the US.
• The first guerrillas were chosen from the CIA-run Mustang camp in Nepal that housed members of the Chu Shi Gandruk, the main organization of the Khampa rebels.

The History of the Special Frontier Force (SFF)

• The SFF was formed in response to the 1962 China-India war .
• Biju Patnaik played a crucial role in the formation of Establishment 22, proposing the idea of a Tibetan Guerrilla Force, comprising the Khampa rebels, after the 1962 Chinese debacle.
• Biju Patnaik, a close confidant and defence adviser to Nehru, along with Intelligence Bureau Chief B.N.Mullick, convinced Nehru to form a force consisting of Tibetan youths who had fled to India along with the Dalai Lama.
• In 1966, Establishment-22 was doubled in size and renamed the Special Frontier Force.
• By 1971, the SFF had grown to include 8 battalions.
• The original mission of the SFF, which prompted many Tibetans to join the force, is no longer relevant as the Dalai Lama is against any military operation to free Tibet.
• Since 1975, the SFF has been prohibited from being deployed within 10 km of the Indo-Chinese border unless under explicit instructions.

The Role of the SFF

• The primary function of the SFF or Establishment 22 was to conduct covert operations behind Chinese lines in the event of another Indo-China war.
• They were trained to infiltrate as guerrillas, destroy Chinese lines and communication, damage roads, airfields and radar installations, compel the Chinese to deploy a disproportionate force at rear security, and create insurgency and rebellion in Tibet to aid the Indian army in engaging the Chinese at the border.
• As such, the recruits were trained as high-altitude paratroops commandos, well versed in the arts of ambush, demolition, survival and sabotage.
• The Special Frontier Force primarily conducted clandestine intelligence gathering and commando operations along the Line of Actual Control with China.
• However, the SFF has been deployed by R&AW and the Indian government in various covert and overt operation theatres.

For more details about Central Intelligence And Investigative Agencies of India , please refer to the linked article.

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