The RAF will be led by a female IG for the first time. In the CRPF, an IG is the sector commander.
Digital Desk: In a first, the CRPF has recruited two female officers from its
ranks as Inspectors General (IG) of the Bihar Sector and RAF, its specialised
anti-riot force.
After a long wait of 35
years, the proverbial glass ceiling was finally cracked in the nation's largest
paramilitary force with 3.25 lakh members when the first female officers joined
the Central Reserve Police Force in 1987.
There have previously been
female Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in charge of CRPF formations, and
currently the force has at least three such officials.
According to officials,
Annie Abraham has been appointed as the IG of the blue duangree donning Rapid
Action Force (RAF), while Seema Dhundia has been posted as the IG of the Bihar
Sector as part of a recent transfer/posting order issued by the force
headquarters here.
The RAF will be led by a
female IG for the first time. In the CRPF, an IG is the sector commander.
Both officers were among
the first female officers to join the paramilitary force in 1987. They have
also led an all-female Indian police contingent at the United Nations.
During their service, they
were awarded the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service, the Police
Medal for Meritorious Service, and the 'Ati Utkrisht Sewa Padak,' according to
a CRPF spokesperson.
According to PTI,
Abraham's appointment "was an honour for her, and she would work to
elevate the RAF to a higher position." The RAF's 15 battalions are
deployed across the country for anti-riot, counter-protest, and sensitive law
and order duties, and it is also called in to assist state police forces during
major events with large crowds, as well as VIP visits.
Apart from some small units of the RAF and the jungle warfare unit
CoBRA, the Bihar Sector of the CRPF commands about four battalions of the force
that are deployed for anti-Naxal operations and other law and order duties.
In 1986, the CRPF was the first Central Armed Police Force (CAPF)
to induct women into combat.
It currently has six such battalions, with over 6,000 female
constables serving in them.
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