HYDERABAD: For the first time, women constables will saddle up as mounted police in Hyderabad, joining security duties during the Ganesh idol immersion procession on Saturday.
As many as 10 women constables, recently inducted into the Mounted Police wing, will be discharging their first official duty on Saturday.
The constables, drawn from the Armed Reserve (AR), underwent two months of intensive training at the Goshamahal Mounted Unit before being formally drafted into the mounted police force.
Hyderabad City Police Commissioner CV Anand told reporters on Friday that the women constables would, henceforth, be deployed for various duties including security arrangements, VIP movement, and patrolling.
Anand said that introducing women constables to horse-riding was aimed at encouraging them to step forward in one of the toughest and most demanding disciplines of policing. “For the first time, women mounted police will also be part of regular patrols,” he added.
One of the newly trained constables, who was recruited on January 9, said the journey was not easy. “Initially, we struggled, but under the guidance of Prudhvi Singh we learnt a lot.
He taught us how horses move and how to handle them. We are now confident of controlling both the crowd and the horses,” she said.
The constable explained that training focused not just on riding, but on managing horses in crowded situations. “It is not simply about riding a horse in the middle of a crowd. We had to learn to control the horses while also managing the people. But we are excited for tomorrow’s immersion assignment,” she said.
8 am Khairatabad idol procession to start
Over 30,000 police personnel on duty to ensure security
Metro services to run till 1 am
Over 60,000 idols are expected to be immersed