The Special Protection Group (SPG) Explained

The Special Protection Group (SPG) is the elite Indian security force that provides proximate, round-the-clock protection to the Prime Minister of India, and it was raised in 1985 after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984. It is a central force that reports to the Union Government through the Cabinet Secretariat and is governed by the Special Protection Group Act, 1988.

The Special Protection Group is among the most closely guarded and best-known security forces in the country, but its work is by design low-profile and its methods are not public. This explainer covers the institutional facts only: why the force was created, what the SPG Act says, how the 2019 amendment changed the scope of protection, how the force is organised, and how it differs from other protection agencies. 9 October 2026

Key Takeaways

• The Special Protection Group (SPG) was raised in 1985 to provide proximate security to the Prime Minister of India after the 1984 assassination of Indira Gandhi.
• The Special Protection Group Act, 1988, gives the SPG its legal basis, and the force functions under the Cabinet Secretariat rather than the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The Special Protection Group (Amendment) Act, 2019, limited SPG cover to the sitting Prime Minister and the immediate family members residing with the Prime Minister at the official residence.
• Under the 2019 amendment, a former Prime Minister and the family receive SPG cover only for a period of one year after leaving office, with further protection decided by threat assessment through other agencies.
• The SPG draws its personnel on deputation from the Indian Police Service and the central armed police forces, with the force headed by a Director.
• The SPG protects only the Prime Minister’s person and works alongside, but separately from, the National Security Guard and other protection agencies.

What is the Special Protection Group (SPG)?

The Special Protection Group (SPG) is a specialised Indian security force created by law to give close personal protection to the Prime Minister. Its job is proximate security, which means protecting the Prime Minister’s person at close quarters at home, in travel and at public events, in coordination with intelligence agencies and the police.

The SPG is separate from the general police and from the large paramilitary forces. It is a small, highly selected organisation whose officers and personnel are trained exclusively for one mission. The Prime Minister’s security as a whole involves many other agencies, including state police, intelligence bodies and the Delhi Police, but the SPG forms the innermost ring of protection.

Why and when was the SPG created?

The SPG was created because the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her own security guards on 31 October 1984 showed that the existing arrangements for protecting the Prime Minister were inadequate. A committee headed by B. N. Nath, often called the Birbal Nath Committee, was set up to review the arrangements, and it recommended a dedicated force for the Prime Minister’s security.

Before 1984, Prime Ministerial security had been handled by the Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau, with a Special Protection Unit established in the early 1980s. The Special Protection Group was formally raised in 1985, and it took over the Prime Minister’s protection from the earlier arrangements. In 1988, Parliament passed the Special Protection Group Act, which put the force on a statutory footing and defined its duties and powers.

The assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 led to a significant change in the law, because he was no longer the Prime Minister and was not under SPG cover at the time. This event shaped the later amendments of the Act.

What does the Special Protection Group Act, 1988 say?

The Special Protection Group Act, 1988, establishes the SPG as an armed force of the Union for the proximate security of the Prime Minister and certain others notified under the Act, and it sets out the force’s powers, command structure and the relationship with the Union Government. The Act makes the Director responsible for the superintendence of the force under the Central Government.

The Act also provides that other agencies, including the Central and state governments, must assist the SPG in its duties. This is important because the force depends on the cooperation of police, local administration and intelligence agencies wherever the Prime Minister travels.

The Act has been changed several times to alter the categories of people who can be covered. The central principle has remained that the SPG’s resources are meant for the Prime Minister’s person, and the Act gives the Central Government the power to decide on who is entitled to cover within the limits set by Parliament.

Who is protected by the SPG?

Under the law as amended in 2019, the SPG protects the sitting Prime Minister of India and the members of the Prime Minister’s immediate family who reside with the Prime Minister at the official residence. That is the core and permanent scope of the force.

A former Prime Minister and the members of the immediate family residing with that person are given SPG cover only for a period of one year from the date on which the former Prime Minister ceases to hold office. After that, protection depends on the assessment of the threat by security agencies, and it is arranged through other forces and not by the SPG.

Earlier versions of the law had provided broader categories. After the 1991 amendment, former Prime Ministers and their families could be covered for a long period, which under the original change was ten years. The 2003 amendment moved to a system of yearly review based on threat levels. The 2019 amendment narrowed the scope further to focus the force on the Prime Minister.

What did the 2019 amendment change?

The Special Protection Group (Amendment) Act, 2019, limited the SPG’s responsibility to the sitting Prime Minister and the immediate family members living with the Prime Minister at the official residence, and it provided only one year of SPG cover for former Prime Ministers after they leave office. Parliament passed it in late 2019.

The reasoning given by the Government at the time was that the SPG’s resources should be concentrated on the protection of the Prime Minister, as the force was meant for a single office. It said that other protectees would continue to receive security through other agencies according to their threat levels.

The amendment was criticised by some political parties and defended by others, and the debate reflected differing views about the right balance between protection and public resources. As an encyclopedic matter, the effect of the amendment was to make the SPG Act narrower than it had been since 1991.

How is the SPG organised and who commands it?

The SPG is organised as a compact force under a Director, who is an Indian Police Service officer, and the force works under the administrative control of the Cabinet Secretariat. This places it close to the Prime Minister’s office while keeping it distinct from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The force comprises a command and staff structure, protection teams, and specialised wings that cover areas such as communications, technology, medical support, transport and training. The SPG draws its operational personnel on deputation from the Indian Police Service and from central armed police forces, including those in the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF and SSB, and the personnel return to their parent forces after their term.

The details of its numbers, deployment and equipment are not public, and they are not discussed here.

How are SPG personnel selected and trained?

SPG personnel are selected from officers and personnel of the IPS and the central armed police forces through a careful process, and then trained at the force’s own institute in a rigorous course. The selection looks at physical fitness, character, discipline and aptitude for working under pressure.

Training covers areas such as physical conditioning, firearms handling, driving, first aid, protective procedures, communication and awareness of threats. The force also trains with other agencies. The SPG is known for its emphasis on discipline and anonymity, since its protective function is most successful when it is unnoticed.

SPG members often wear dark suits when accompanying the Prime Minister at events, which gives the force its recognisable public image. The details of tactics and training methods are not made public, and this article does not describe them.

How is the SPG different from the NSG and other protection agencies?

The SPG differs from the National Security Guard (NSG) in that the SPG is a permanent protection force for one office, whereas the NSG is a response force for counter-terrorism and hostage rescue. The two forces were both raised in the mid-1980s but have different purposes, structures and reporting lines.

• SPG: Proximate protection of the Prime Minister, under the Cabinet Secretariat.
• NSG: Counter-terrorism and hostage rescue, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other forces: Provide security to many other protectees according to threat assessments.
• State police and Delhi Police: Provide the wider security cover, route control and local arrangements.
• Intelligence Bureau (IB): Provides threat assessment and intelligence support.

The security of the Prime Minister is therefore a layered system with the SPG as the closest layer. The SPG itself works with the local police and intelligence agencies, and the Union Government sets the broad rules for how this cooperation operates.

What is the role of the Blue Book and the wider security framework?

The wider security arrangements for the Prime Minister are guided by a set of official security guidelines commonly referred to as the Blue Book, which assigns responsibilities to the SPG, state governments, police and intelligence agencies during the Prime Minister’s movements. The existence of the Blue Book is publicly known, but its contents are classified.

The framework relies on the principle that the SPG protects the Prime Minister at close quarters while the state governments are responsible for the outer layers of security in the areas the Prime Minister visits. This division of responsibility is a standard feature of protective security systems around the world.

The Union Government also sets how far in advance a visit is planned and which agencies take part, though these are matters of internal procedure and are not covered here.

How does the SPG compare with similar forces abroad?

The SPG is comparable in function to the United States Secret Service, which protects the American President, and to specialist protection commands in other countries, but it is smaller in mandate because it covers only the head of government. The Indian force was created after a domestic security failure, as were many such bodies elsewhere.

A common feature of such agencies is that they combine physical protection with advance planning, intelligence liaison and close cooperation with local police. The SPG’s own character is shaped by India’s constitutional arrangements, in which law and order is a state subject while the protection of the Prime Minister is handled through a central force created by an Act of Parliament.

Bottom Line

The Special Protection Group is a single-purpose force, created in 1985 and legally defined by the SPG Act of 1988, whose mission is the proximate protection of the Prime Minister of India. After the 2019 amendment, its remit is confined to the sitting Prime Minister and immediate family at the official residence, plus a one-year transition for former Prime Ministers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Special Protection Group (SPG)?

The Special Protection Group is the Indian security force that provides close, round-the-clock protection to the Prime Minister. It was raised in 1985 and is governed by the Special Protection Group Act, 1988. It works under the Cabinet Secretariat.

Why was the SPG formed?

The SPG was formed because Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated in October 1984 by members of her own security detail. A committee headed by B. N. Nath recommended a dedicated protection force. The Special Protection Group was then raised in 1985 and given a statute in 1988.

Who does the SPG protect today?

The SPG protects the sitting Prime Minister of India and the immediate family members residing with the Prime Minister at the official residence. Former Prime Ministers and their families receive SPG cover only for one year after leaving office. Any further protection is decided by threat assessment and provided by other agencies.

What did the 2019 SPG amendment do?

The Special Protection Group (Amendment) Act, 2019, narrowed the SPG’s cover to the sitting Prime Minister and immediate family at the official residence. It also limited cover for former Prime Ministers to one year after they leave office. Earlier versions of the law had allowed longer cover for former Prime Ministers and their families.

Who heads the SPG and which ministry controls it?

The SPG is headed by a Director, who is traditionally an Indian Police Service officer. The force functions under the Cabinet Secretariat of the Government of India and not under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its personnel come on deputation from the IPS and the central armed police forces.

What is the difference between the SPG and the NSG?

The SPG is a permanent close-protection force for the Prime Minister, whereas the NSG is a counter-terrorism and hostage-rescue response force. The SPG works under the Cabinet Secretariat and the NSG under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Both were raised in the mid-1980s but serve different purposes.

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