India's 1st Women CoBRA Commandos to be Deployed in Naxal Affected Areas

NEW DELHI: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) inducted women commandos in its anti-Naxal Commando Battalion for CoBRA unit on February 6.

According to reports, on the occasion of the 88th All-Women Battalion Raising Day, these women commandos have been inducted along with the introduction of all Mahila brass band which will make CRPF the first force to have a women brass band.

A CRPF press release stated that "Mahila personnel of CRPF forming the first all-women brass band will also undergo a training course to acquire the requisite skills on the musical instruments. It deserves pertinent to mention that the force already has an all-women pipe band."

CRPF is the only Para Military Force in India which has 06 Mahila (Ladies) Battalions. After its training in March 1987, 88(M) Bn won laurels for its work assisting the Meerut riots and later with the IPKF in Srilanka. Personnel of second Mahila battalion (135 Bn) performed credibly during the Lok Sabha elections 1996 in many states.

At present Mahila, personnel are deployed in active duty in Jammu & Kashmir, Ayodhya, Manipur, Assam and other parts of the country where they are doing a commendable job. ln addition each RAF battalion has a Mahila (Ladies) component consisting of 106 personnel.

It is to be mentioned that with increasing participation of women in politics, agitation and crime, policemen have b_een feeling handicapped in handling women agitations, especially because even a small, real or alleged misdemeanour on their part in dealing with any matter related to women has the potential of turning into a serious law & order problem.

To cope with such eventualities the first Mahila Bn in CRPF, the 88(M) Bn was created in 1986 with HQR in Delhi.

The successful experiment of the 88 (Mahila) Bn and the ever-increasing requirement of a Mahila component in dealing with emerging law and order situation as well as the Govemment emphasis to empower the women Department had taken an of raising the second and third Mahila Bn i.e the 135 (M) Bn with HQR at Gandhinagar (Gujarat) in 1995 and the 213 Bn with HQR at Nagpur(Maharastra) in 2011.

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