The Rapid Action Force (RAF), is a specialized rapid reaction wing of the Central Reserve Police Force of India established to deal with riot and crowd control situations.[2]
| Rapid Action Force | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of Rapid Action Force | |
| Common name | RAF |
| Motto | "Serving Humanity with Sensitive Policing" |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 11 December, 1991 |
| Volunteers | 1,00,000 Active Personnel |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | India |
| Governing body | Ministry of Home Affairs (India) |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Central Reserve Police Force[1] |
| Notables | |
| Anniversary |
|
| Website | |
| RAF website | |
History
editRAF was raised on 11 December 1991 with headquarters in New Delhi. It became fully operational on 7 October 1992, to deal with riots, riot like situations, crowd control, rescue and relief operations, and related unrest.[2][3] The first five battalions were raised by October 1992 and an additional 5 battalions were added in April 1994. In October 2003, with 11 years of service, the force was presented with the President's colours.[2] On 9 November 2013, the RAF Academy of Public Order was established in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.[4][5] In 2017, the Indian government approved an additional five battalions to be based in New Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.[6]
Organization
editRAF is commanded by an Inspector-General of Police (IGP), functioning at New Delhi. The RAF is divided into three ranges headed by a DIGP at New Delhi, Mumbai and Dehradun. It has also a specialized training centre "RAPO" (RAF Academy for Public Order) at Meerat (U.P.) headed by a DIGP. The RAF has a distinctive uniform with a blue-coloured camouflage pattern which symbolizes peace. Its motto is "Serving Humanity with Sensitive Policing".
It currently has 15 specialized trained and equipped battalions, which are numbered 83, 91, 97, 99 to 108, 114 and 194 in the CRPF. Each battalion is headed by a Commanding Officer (CO), an officer of the rank of Commandant.[2] The RAF Battalions of CRPF are located at the following places:[7]
| S. No. | State | Location | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rajasthan | Jaipur | 83 RAF |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | 91 RAF |
| 3 | Karnataka | Shimoga | 97 RAF |
| 4 | Telangana | Rangareddy | 99 RAF |
| 5 | Gujarat | Ahmedabad | 100 RAF |
| 6 | Uttar Pradesh | Prayagraj | 101 RAF |
| 7 | Maharashtra | Mumbai | 102 RAF |
| 8 | Delhi | Wazirabad | 103 RAF |
| 9 | Uttar Pradesh | Aligarh | 104 RAF |
| 10 | Tamil Nadu | Coimbatore | 105 RAF |
| 11 | Jharkhand | Jamshedpur | 106 RAF |
| 12 | Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal | 107 RAF |
| 13 | Uttar Pradesh | Meerut | 108 RAF |
| 14 | Bihar | Hajipur Vaishali | 114 RAF |
| 15 | Haryana | Nuh | 194 RAF |
Team is the smallest independent functional unit of the force and is commanded by an Inspector. Each team has three components, namely riot control, tear some and fire. Each company of RAF has one team composed of women personnel to deal with women demonstrators.[2]
The force is equipped with non-lethal weapons for dispersing the crowd with minimum harm and losses. It is always kept in readiness for rapid deployment when the situation so demands and are only deployed by the orders of Ministry of Home Affairs on specific demands from state governments for a short duration.[8]
Role
editRiot and crowd control
editThis unit has been used to deal with communal violence, law and order duty, festival and election duties and agitation.[6]
United Nations Peace Keeping Operations
editThe CRPF female and male contingents under the arrangements of RAF are deployed in United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Monrovia and Zwedru in UN Peacekeeping mission since 2007–08. CRPF Female Formed Police Unit was the first of its kind in the world, which was deployed under the aegis of UN Peace Keeping Mission.[2]
Humanitarian activities
edit
RAF has also succeeded in projecting the human face of the Government and built bridges with the public by carrying out prompt rescue and relief operations during floods, earthquakes, cyclones and outbreak of epidemics in various parts of the country.[2]
Anti-terror operations
editDuring the November 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks, RAF was involved in cordoning the areas around the Oberoi Trident and the Taj Mahal hotels. Kamlesh Kumari of the 88 Mahila Battalion was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra for her bravery during the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.[9]
References
edit- ^ "RAF Sector | Directorate General | Dte/Zone | Central Reserve Police Force, Government of India". www.crpf.nic.in. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "RAF Sector | Directorate General | Dte/Zone | Central Reserve Police Force, Government of India". crpf.gov.in. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "Rapid Action Force (RAF)". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 17 November 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
- ^ "RAF Academy of Public Order inaugurated in Meerut". Jagranjosh.com. 10 November 2013. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ ANI (10 November 2013). "Shinde inaugurates 'RAF Academy of Public Order' in Meerut". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ a b "RAF adding 5 new battalions to tackle increasing cases of violence". hindustantimes.com/. 22 September 2017. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Annual Report Ministry of Home Affairs 2019-2020" (PDF). mha.gov.in. MHA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Annual Report Ministry of Home Affairs 2019-2020" (PDF). mha.gov.in. MHA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
The RAF Coys (Companies) are deployed on the request of State Governments for law and order duties, maintenance of peace during various festivals and communal riots, etc. on a short-term basis.
- ^ Dutta, Anshuman G. (11 August 2009) Armed only with a wireless set, she rushed in to face terrorists Archived 5 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Archive.mid-day.com. Retrieved on 2018-12-26.