J&K woman officer to command all-male CRPF marching contingent on Republic Day
Simran Bala, a 26-year-old CRPF Assistant Commandant hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, will lead an all-male contingent of her force during the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path in Delhi on January 26, officials said on Monday.
While there have been instances when women Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers commanded various Republic Day contingents, this is the first time that a lady officer will command a party of more than 140 male personnel during the annual national event, the officials told PTI.
Bala hails from Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir and is the first female from the district to join the country’s largest paramilitary force in the officer rank.
The about 3.25 lakh personnel-strong CRPF is the country’s top internal security force, with its three main theatres of combat being anti-Naxal operations, counter-terrorist offensives in Jammu and Kashmir, and counter-insurgency duties in the Northeast. Bala is a graduate in political science from the Government College for Women in Jammu’s Gandhinagar, officials said.
She was commissioned into the force in April 2025 and her first posting was in the ‘Bastariya’ battalion in Chattisgarh, tasked to undertake anti-Naxal operations, they said.
She was accorded the award for the best officer in training and public speaking subjects during her skilling at the CRPF academy in Gurugram after she qualified the CAPF Assistant Commandants exam conducted by the UPSC.
The annual Republic Day parade showcases India’s military power and cultural diversity as it ambles down the Kartavya Path from Raisina Hill to Red Fort via India Gate on January 26.
Mega Dance Performance to Dazzle at Parade
New Delhi: Representing different dance forms of India, a mega group of nearly 2,500 artistes is set to perform on the Kartavya Path during the 77th Republic Day parade, whose main theme will be the sesquicentenary of ‘Vande Mataram’.
The broader theme of the performance will be — ‘Swatantra Ka Mantra — Vande Mataram’ and ‘Samriddhi Ka Mantra — Viksit Bharat’, officials said. The members of the creative team that has worked on it include — MM Keeravani as music director, Subhash Sehgal as lyricist, Anupam Kher as narrator and Santosh Nair as choreographer, under the overall supervision and direction of Sandhya Purecha. Creative design and costumes shall be handled by Sandhya Raman, they said.
Keeravani shot to fame after the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song, composed by him for the blockbuster film ‘RRR’ won an Oscar award in the Best Original Song category in 2023.
The Defence Ministry had announced that Keeravani is part of the creative team behind the cultural performance.
