New Delhi

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.

A joint team of women 'dare devils' from the CRPF and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), riding Enfield Bullet bikes, will also be part of the parade.

The female personnel of these two forces have done this feat at the Republic Day in 2020 as well.

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The Central Industrial Security Force will have a marching and band contingent while the Border Security Force will be represented by its famed camel-mounted troops and band teams.

A joint tableau prepared by the National Disaster Response Force and the Bureau of Police Research and Development is also expected to be part of the Union Home Ministry's float during the event.