Rapid Action Force
| Rapid Action Force रैपिड एक्शन फोर्स |
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Emblem of Rapid Action Force
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| Motto | "Serving Humanity with Sensitive Policing" | ||||
| Agency overview | |||||
| Formed | 11 December, 1991 | ||||
| Volunteers | 8,000 Active Personnel | ||||
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency | ||||
| Jurisdictional structure | |||||
| Federal agency | IN | ||||
| Governing body | Ministry of Home Affairs (India) | ||||
| General nature |
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| Specialist jurisdiction | Paramilitary law enforcement, counter insurgency, armed response to civil unrest, counter terrorism, special weapons operations. | ||||
| Operational structure | |||||
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India | ||||
| Minister responsible | Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister | ||||
| Agency executive | K.S Bhandari, Inspector General of RAF | ||||
| Parent agency | Central Armed Police Forces | ||||
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| Website | |||||
| http://crpf.gov.in/Pages/RAF.aspx | |||||
| Notables | |
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| Anniversary | 7 October |
The Rapid Action Force (RAF) is a specialised wing of the Indian CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force). It was established on 11 December 1991 with headquarters in New Delhi, and became fully operational in October 1992, to deal with riots, riot like situations, crowd control, rescue and relief operations, and related unrest. It currently has 10 specialised trained and equipped battalions, which are numbered 99 to 108 in the CRPF, located at New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahemadabad, Bhopal, Aligarh, Meerut, Hyderabad, Jamshedpur, Coimbatore and Allahabhad. It has two ranges: New Delhi and Mumbai. This force, with just 11 years of service to the nation was given special honour giving separate colour (Flag) by the President of India. RAF celebrates its anniversary on 7 October each year by rotation at different unit locations. RAF is having a distinct dress of blue disruptive pattern that symbolises peace. Its motto is "Serving Humanity with Sensitive Policing." The force is equipped with non-lethal weapons for dispersing the crowd with minimum harm and losses. The companies of RAF are kept always in readiness for rapid deployment when situation so demands. The companies of RAF are deployed only by the orders of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, on specific demands from state governments, and are normally not deployed for long duration.
RAF is commanded by an Inspector-General of Police (IGP), functioning at New Delhi. The RAF is divided into two ranges headed by a DIGP at New Delhi and Mumbai. Since 2015, Mr K S Bhandari has led the RAF as an IGP.
This unit has been used to deal with communal violence, as well as terrorist attacks such as the November 26th attacks.
The CRPF female and male contingents under the arrangements of RAF are deployed in United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Monrovia and Zwedru in UN Peacekeeping mission since 2007-08. CRPF Female Formed Police Unit was the first of its kind in the world, which was deployed under the aegis of UN Peace Keeping Mission.
RAF has also succeeded in projecting the human face of the Government and built bridges with the public by carrying out prompt rescue and relief operations during floods, earthquakes, cyclones and outbreak of epidemics in various parts of the country.
During the November 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks, RAF was involved in cordoning the areas around the Oberoi Trident and the Taj Mahal hotels.
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Wikipedia