For the first time in the history of India, a security force will have two women officers at the top as the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which has DG Rashmi Shukla, a 1988 batch IPS officer, at the helm will be assisted by B Radhika, a 1989 batch IPS officer.
Though SSB has seen a woman DG earlier when Archana Ramasundram joined the force, this is the first time when the top two officers are women.
Shukla is a Maharashtra-cadre officer who was working as ADG in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). She was empanelled as DG last month.
B Radhika, meanwhile, is an old hand in SSB and has been working in the force since November 2020. She is a 1989 Orissa batch IPS officer who has handled various key positions in the state as well as in Union government agencies.
In the last six months, the government has appointed several senior women officers to handle key positions.
In the CRPF too, for the first time, two women IGs have been appointed to handle a sector and the Rapid Action Force. Seema Dhundia and Annie Abraham are now working as IG in CRPF. The force had also deputed a woman IPS officer, Charu Sinha, in the sensitive Srinagar area who was recently transferred after completing her tenure.
In the Border Security Force (BSF), senior IPS officer Sonali Mishra is working as ADG Eastern Command. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) too has an ADG-level woman IPS officer Nina Singh, also from the 1989 batch, as well as an IG-level woman officer. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Security Guard (NSG), however, have no women officers at the top.
Women’s CAPF Representation Just 3.38%
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the existing strength of women personnel in Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles is 34,278 against the sanctioned strength of 10,12,568 — just 3.38 per cent.
The ministry says steps have been taken to encourage women in forces, the biggest being a strict no-tolerance policy towards harassment at the workplace.
“Cases related to harassment of women at workplace are being dealt expeditiously as per norms laid down by the government. Internal Complaint Committees (ICC) at all levels have been sensitised with regard to expeditious processing of the complaints of women personnel with due emphasis on thorough enquiry and timely submission of their reports and findings as and when such complaints are received. Based on the same, suitable disciplinary and administrative action is immediately initiated, wherever applicable,” MHA said in Parliament in December last year.
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