CRPF Marks Historic Milestone Celebrating Four Decades of Women in Combat Operations
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Marking a historic milestone in national security and operational inclusivity, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)—India’s largest Central Armed Police Force—will celebrate four decades of relentless courage, leadership, and sacrifice by its women combat personnel on September 25, 2026. During a grand ceremonial event organized in New Delhi, CRPF Director General GP Singh alongside the President of the CRPF Family Welfare Association will formally felicitate veteran and serving women personnel for their pioneering contributions to counter-insurgency, anti-riot management, and frontline combat operations. Ever since raising its first all-women combat battalion in 1986, the paramilitary force has continually shattered gender barriers, creating an operational blueprint where female officers and jawans lead critical high-risk tactical deployments across India's most challenging conflict theatres.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women Commanders Leading CoBRA, RAF, and Critical Fronts
The evolution of women within the CRPF reached landmark leadership echelons in 2022 when two distinguished officers from the original 1986 intake, Annie Abraham and Seema Dhundhiya, were elevated to the rank of Inspector General (IG) heading the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Bihar Sector respectively. Today, senior female commanders steer strategic regional zones including Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and the Northeast, while IPS officer Sanjukta Parashar etched history as the first woman to lead the elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA)—the specialized jungle warfare unit deployed against Left-Wing Extremism. Across ground formations, the force currently operates six dedicated all-women battalions in vital internal security sectors, bolstered by 64 specialized all-women riot-control teams within the RAF (each comprising 24 trained personnel) and frontline combatants actively securing forward operating bases in Chhattisgarh under the indigenous Bastariya Battalion.
Legacy of Supreme Sacrifice: From Parliament Attack Ashoka Chakra to Global Commendations
The four-decade journey is anchored by extraordinary acts of bravery that have earned the nation's highest peacetime and military honors. Foremost among them is Constable Kamlesh Kumari, who became the first to sound the alert and foil armed terrorists attempting to storm the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001, making the supreme sacrifice and becoming the CRPF’s sole woman recipient of the Ashoka Chakra (posthumously). Her legacy is mirrored by Constable Vimala Devi, recipient of the prestigious Sena Medal; Lance Naik Rajwanthi Devi, who earned the Army Chief's Commendation for valorous defense at the Elephant Pass checkpost in Sri Lanka during the 1988 Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) deployment; and Constable Bindu Kumre, who was conferred the Gallantry Medal for neutralizing a suicide terror attack at Srinagar airport in 2001. Terming the continuous integration of women jawans as a visionary step, CRPF leadership emphasized that four decades of female combat service have permanently redefined operational parity, professional excellence, and institutional courage in India’s defense architecture.
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