Rapid Action Force
| Rapid Action Force | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of Rapid Action Force | |
| Common name | RAF |
| Motto | "Serving Humanity with Sensitive Policing" |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 11 November 1991 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | India |
| Governing body | Ministry of Home Affairs (India) |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Minister responsible |
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| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | Central Reserve Police Force[1] |
| Notables | |
| Anniversary |
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| Website | |
| crpf | |
The Rapid Action Force (RAF), is a specialised rapid reaction wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) of India established in October 1992 to deal with riot and crowd control situations.[2]
History
[edit]RAF was established on 11 December 1991 by the Union Home Ministry with headquarters in New Delhi.[3] It became fully operational on 7 October 1992, to deal with riots, riot-like situations, crowd control, rescue and relief operations, and related unrest.[2][4] The first five battalions were operationalized by October 1992 and an additional 5 battalions were added in April 1994.
On 7 October 2003, with 11 years of service, the force was presented with the President's Colour.[2] On 9 November 2013, the RAF Academy of Public Order was established in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.[5][6] In 2017, the Indian government approved an additional five battalions to be based in New Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.[7]
Organisation
[edit]RAF is commanded by an Inspector-General of Police (IGP), functioning at New Delhi. The RAF is divided into three ranges headed by a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIGP) in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Dehradun. It has also a specialized training centre "RAPO" (RAF Academy for Public Order) in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh headed by a DIGP. The RAF has a distinctive uniform with a blue-coloured camouflage pattern which symbolizes peace. Its motto is "Serving Humanity with Sensitive Policing".
It currently has 15 specialized trained and equipped battalions, which are numbered 83, 91, 97, 99 to 108, 114 and 194 in the CRPF. Each battalion is headed by a Commanding Officer (CO), an officer of the rank of Commandant.[2] The RAF Battalions of CRPF are located at the following places:[8]
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