Woman Officer Leads All-Male CRPF Contingent at Republic Day Parade

New Delhi: In a first at the Republic Day parade, a woman officer of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) led an all-male marching contingent on Kartavya Path, marking a notable moment in the force’s ceremonial history.

Assistant Commandant Simran Bala, aged 26, commanded the CRPF contingent during the 77th Republic Day parade. The contingent comprised 147 male personnel and marched as part of the ceremonial march-past in the presence of the President of India and other dignitaries. According to CRPF officials, this was the first time a woman officer led an exclusively male CRPF contingent at the Republic Day parade.

Simran Bala hails from Nowshera village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, located close to the Line of Control. She was commissioned into the CRPF in April 2025 and is currently posted with the Bastariya battalion in Chhattisgarh, where the force is deployed in anti-Naxal operations. Official records state that she is the first woman from her district to become an officer in the CRPF.

During the parade, the CRPF contingent marched to the force’s anthem as played by the CRPF band. The CRPF, India’s largest central armed police force, plays a key role in internal security duties, including counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and law and order operations across several states.

Officials noted that while women officers have earlier led women-only or mixed contingents, this parade marked the first instance of a woman officer leading a fully male CRPF contingent at the national event.