CRPF women Commandos who have been trained in VIP security will soon be added to the detailed security of Z-plus category protectees are based in Delhi which includes home minister Amit Shah, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as well as former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. The personnel who have gone through the necessary course which covers all the aspects of VIP security are also expected to accompany the protected people on their state visits where assembly polls are due in the near future.
The Z-plus security is a very high-security cover next to the SPG cover which is responsible for protecting the Prime minister and his family. These women commandos will protect the high-risk personalities, including their visits across the country.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has finally been able to raise its maiden contingent of 32 women personal in the VIP security wing. These women have been trained for 10-weeks in unarmed combat, body frisking, and special weapons firing. Sources have reported that these women commandos are expected to be deployed from January.
Aside from these, some other Z-plus protectors will also be given security by these women personnel of CRPF on a rotational basis, the sources said. These commandos will start the deployment in the house protection of these VIPs since the number of women as of now is small, and they could also accompany these people on their visits to the five states namely UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa in the upcoming election polls.
A senior CRPF officer also said that the women Commandos will be given proximate security duties in the future when more when will join the VIP security wing of the force.
Although this is not the first time that Gandhis and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have the protection of women personnel. Sources have stated that in the past they enjoyed the protection of the Special Protection Group (SPG) when there was a small contingent of SPG women Commandos who provided residential security to them. Gandhis and Singh got stripped of SPG security in November 2019, after which they were provided Z Plus cover from the CRPF.
Similarly, the National Security Guard (NSG) which is also responsible for providing the VIP security had raised a 25-member women contingent for VIP security. They were detailed to provide protection to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J Jayalalitha.
These women will also carry arms, ballistic protection, and all the other gadgets which the job requires, like their male counterparts. This is another much-needed step taken in the right direction. Many more such milestones have to be achieved and that day is not far when we will have a gender-neutral force guarding the nation proving for once and all, that a woman is as strong as the man if not more.
