For the first time, Charu Sinha, a female IPS officer has been appointed as the head of the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) Srinagar sector. The officer was till now serving as the CRPF IG in Jammu. She earlier headed the CRPF formation in Bihar that included deployment of force in anti-Naxal operations in that state.
Sinha, a 1996-batch officer of the Telangana cadre, has been appointed as the Inspector General (IG) of CRPF’s Srinagar sector that oversees the deployment of the paramilitary forces’ battalions in Srinagar city of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This is not the first time that Charu Sinha has been given a challenging task. Before this, she was involved in the operation against Naxalites while being the IG of CRPF Bihar sector.
An order issued by the CRPF headquarters on Monday also posted nine other Inspectors General including 1997-batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre Deepak Ratan to head the Kashmir operations formation of the CRPF in the valley. The incumbent Director-General of the CRPF, AP Maheshwari, had earlier served as the IG for CRPF unit in 2005, which is when the sector started functioning. Since then, no female officer served at the IG level in the sector. The CRPF Srinagar sector plays a crucial role in anti-terror operations in the district, and it coordinates closely with the Indian Army as well as the Jammu and Kashmir police. The sector includes three Mahila companies, 22 executive units as well as two ranges, adding that the sector also has administrative control over the Group Centre – Srinagar.
