CRPF's Simran Bala to Lead Male Contingent on Kartavya Path, Makes History

• Assistant Commandant Simran Bala will be the first woman officer to lead the male contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Kartavya Path on January 26.
• The 26-year-old officer will command over 140 male personnel during the Republic Day parade.
• Simran Bala, from Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, secured an All India Rank of 82 in her first attempt at the UPSC CAPF Assistant Commandant recruitment examination in 2023.
• She completed her schooling in Nowshera and Jammu, and graduated with a Political Science degree from Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu.
• Inducted into CRPF in April 2025, her first posting was with the Bastariya Battalion in Chhattisgarh, where she was involved in anti-Naxal operations.

Why It Matters: Assistant Commandant Simran Bala creates history by becoming the first woman to lead a CRPF male contingent.