CISF Raising Day: Story Of 34-Yr-Old Officer Rashmi Bedwal Who Broke Gender Ceiling

India's one of the six paramilitary forces, The Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF), celebrates March 10 as the Raising Day, ever since its establishment in 1969. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the armed forces and educate citizens about their nature of work.

Headquartered in Delhi, CISF is the Union established under an Act of Parliament and came under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is a central armed police force for the country.

Rashmi Bedwal

The work of a CISF officer is a hard row to hoe. But 34-year-old Rashmi Bedwal is a story of hard work, strength, discipline and leadership. She portrays how an ordinary Indian woman can surpass all limits of success.

Bedwal is the Deputy Commandant of CISF and supervises the security at Karnataka's Kempegowda International airport (KIA) terminal. A mother of a little girl, Bedwal is the only one in the state and few women in the country holding the post, The New Indian Express reported.

Early Life

Bedwal is a native of Uttarakhand. She completed her B.Tech in Biotechnology from the Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology and later went on to clear the UPSC Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) Assitant Commandant exams in 2013.

Her first job was at the Mumbai International Airport, and she served for 4.5 years. Later she was posted to Bengaluru.

But the road to becoming Deputy Commandant was not easy, as she had to land to several rough patches in the primarily male-dominated field.

But nothing stopped her from going forward, and she completed her training at the National Industrial Security Academy, Hyderabad. Her parents, Nirmala and MS Bedwal, have a significant role to play, as they always had her back, despite several opinions from relatives.

In fact, Bedwal was the only woman in her batch. She met her husband, Anuranjan Kumar Anuj, Deputy Commandant at KIA, during her training days. Bedwal says she never faced gender discrimination during her training days or studies. The 34-year-old leads 300 women in the post of constables, sub-Inspectors and Inspectors.

CISF History & Significance

During the establishment (1969), the team had a strength of 3129 personnel, which has increased to 1,63,613 as of June 2021. CISF has 74 other formations, including 12 reserve battalions and 08 training institutes. Besides, it is the only force with a customized and dedicated fire wing.

The CISF guard strategic establishment includes space, atomic energy, airports, seaports, Metro and historical monuments. It also provides security in private sector units essential government buildings.

Its Special Security Group wing provides security to prominent personalities classified under X, Y, Z and Z plus categories.

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