Women CRPF Commandos to Guard VVIPs

Amit Shah and Gandhi Family on the list

For the first time, women commandos of the Central Reserve Police force (CRPF) will guard the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family too.

The VVIPs including- Shah, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Manmohan Singh are all Z-plus protectors of CRPF. A senior CRPF officer said that in our first batch of women commandos there are 32 female combatants and they have completed their training in VIP security, and will be ready for deployment by January 15. “We have decided to detail them with our Z plus protectees,” the officer added.

“Initially 6 platoons of women personnel will be raised,” they said. The deployment would be done on a ‘need basis’ but few dignitaries will get women personnel from the initial batch, sources said. Also, women VVIPs would also be on priority in view of the upcoming poll. These women CRPF personnel are also being trained to fire assault rifles such as AK-47s. Given the small size of the contingent, women commandos will be deployed at the residence of the protectees first.

The officer further said that as there are only 32 female combatants, each protectee will get only five or six women commandos. The officer added, “It will be difficult to deploy them for proximate security when there is movement given the small size of the contingent at this time. However, if required they can be given security duty to the women protectees during election rallies.”

The officer added, ahead of five state elections- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, in early 2022, The women commandos will be given security duties in future as more women join the VIP security wing of the force.

Gandhi family and Manmohan Singh were stripped of Special Protection Group (SPG) security in November 2019 following which they were provided Z plus cover security of the CRPF. In 2012, the National Security Guard (NSG), which is the premier counter-terror force in the country that also provides VIP security, had similarly raised a 25-member female contingent for VIP security. They were deployed to protect Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham chief J Jayalalithaa.