The Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF), in Chhattisgarh, has deployed its first ever women officer in the Naxal-infested area of Bastar. 27-year-old Usha Kiran has been appointed as an Assistant Commandant with CRPF’s 80 battalion who is a potent PR tool for the forces.
The former national athlete was given three choices but she willingly chose this particular are to serve her duties as she thinks the Maoists are hampering the growth and development of the area. She said,”I chose to serve Naxal-hit Bastar as tribals are innocents and development is getting hampered because of Maoist violence.”
Speaking about the area in which she has been posted, Kiran told that she wanted to experience the challenge in this particular region which is mostly under insurgency. She said,”I always wanted to experience how does CRPF tackle its biggest challenge, so I chose LWE area Bastar. Terrain mise, Bastar is quite challenging.”
Kiran always wished to get into the forces as her grandfather was in the forces and her father is a CRPF officer too. She said,”I Had always wanted to get here in the forces, my grandfather was in CRPF and my father is presently in the forces as well.”
Wanted to experience how does CRPF tackle its biggest challenge, so chose LWE area Bastar: Usha Kiran,first woman CRPF officer Bastar pic.twitter.com/wKThiO3kMF
— ANI (@ANI_news) January 11, 2017
Bastar is challenging terrain wise. Had always wanted to get here in the forces, grandfather was in CRPF, and father is presently:Usha Kiran pic.twitter.com/7dJDctcYrb
— ANI (@ANI_news) January 11, 2017
Usha appointment has brought a blessing in disguise for the tribal women who were earlier horrified during the raids by the CRPF in the insurgency-hit regions. Unfortunately, the Chhattisgarh CRPF is accused of rape and assault by the tribal women from five villages of Bijapur district.
In November 2015, the security forces were accused of sexually harassing and assaulting more than 40 tribal women and gang raping at least two.
According to a press release issued on January 7, the National Human Rights Commission found that 16 women were “prima facie victims of rape, sexual and physical assault by state police personnel in Chhattisgarh” in Bijapur district in October 2015, and said it is of the view that “prima facie, human rights of the victims have been brutally violated, for which the state government is vicariously liable.”
