Ajmer, July 28: The CRPF will soon have a new squad of more than 600 women for rendering internal security duties.
These young recruits, trained in unarmed combat and weapon firing for 44-weeks, will be a part of the third exclusive women battalion of the force.
“The unit, comprising 620 women, will be inducted on August 2 here at a colourful ceremony,” a senior Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer said.
The unit will be commanded by a senior women officer of the force.
The other two ‘mahila’ battalions of the force, numbered 88 and 135, are at present deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and other parts of the country for performing various duties like conduct of polls and regulating large rallies and demonstrations.
The new battalion, which will finally have the standard strength of 1000 women, will be numbered 213.
It has a maximum of 142 women recruits hailing from Rajasthan, 44 from Chhattisgarh, 47 from Orissa, 33 from Jharkhand and five from Bihar.
President Pratibha Patil had recently took the salute of the 88th women battalion of the force as it completed its silver jubilee. It was raised on February 6, 1986.
—PTI