Team News Riveting
Raipur, March 21
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), one of the World largest paramilitary forces, will hold its 84th Raising Day function in the Maoist hotbed of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh on March 24.
The CRPF had marked the 83th Raising Day event at the insurgency-hit Jammu in March 2022. This is for the first time the force with 246 battalion will be organising its annual event in the district known globally for the deadly Maoist violence.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest in the function that will take place in Karanpur — the headquarters of the 204 and 201 CoBRA battalion of the CRPF. As per the programme, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reach Jagdalpur by helicopter on March 24 and after attending CRPF’s program, he will chair a high-level meeting at Karanpur CRPF Headquarters.
Shah will take a night’s rest in Bastar and will leave for Maharashtra on March 25 by helicopter.
The preparations for the event are going on in full swing. According to sources, about 1,000 CRPF personnel from the eight sectors across the country will participate in the 84th Raising Day. The contingent includes 75 women commandos of CRPF Cobra Battalion, who had been riding all the way from Delhi to Bastar to participate in this program. The team will reach Bastar on March 25, covering a distance of about 1850 km and passing through five states.
Sources said CRPF Director General Sujoy Lal Thaosen will reach Bastar on March 23 and participate in the DG parade before giving final shape to the programme.
The force came into existence as the Crown Representative’s Police on 27 July 1939. Earlier, it was known as CRP (Crown Representative’s Police). After Independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28 December 1949. Besides law and order and counter-insurgency duties, the CRPF has played an increasingly large role in India’s general elections.
With 246 battalions and various other establishments, the CRPF is considered India’s largest central armed police force and has a sanctioned strength of more than 300,000 personnel.