NEW DELHI: An all-women bikers contingent of the CRPF will make its debut and showcase daredevil stunts at the Republic Day parade at Rajpath, officials said on Monday.The 65-member team will display its acrobatic skills on motorcycles towards the end of the over 90-minute-long parade.“It will be the first time that our women bikers are going to be a part of the parade. This squad was raised in 2014 as part of our commitment to involving women in all spheres of duties rendered by us,” said Deputy Inspector (DIG) General Moses Dhinakaran.
The contingent will be commanded by Inspector Seema Nag, who is posted with the Rapid Action Force (RAF). The members of the squad have been specially chosen by CRPF trainers. They are drawn from various combat ranks of the force, another official said. This women bikers team, the official said, had performed at the birth anniversary celebrations of country’s first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on October 31 last year at Kevadia in Gujarat. The event was attended by PM Modi.
In 1986, the CRPF had raised the first armed women’s battalion in the Asia region and at present it has six such units with over 1,000 personnel in each.
At this year’s Republic Day parade, the all-woman CRPF contingent is expected to present as many as nine acts of daring bike riding and conclude by forming a human pyramid on multiple motorcycles.
At the 2018 parade, a women bikers team of the Border Security Force (BSF) had made a similar debut.
With agency inputs
Traffic headache for commuters in city
Commuters in Delhi had a harrowing time as VIP movement and Republic Day rehearsals affected traffic across stretches of the city. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal took out a roadshow from Valmiki Mandir to Patel Chowk metro station, causing traffic congestions near Connaught Place and Panchkuian Road. The Rajpath, from Vijay Chowk to India Gate, was closed for traffic from 9 am to 12 noon for parade rehearsals. In the evening, there due to a VVIP route near ITO, several vehicles were stuck in traffic.