Republic Day: CAPFs to showcase all-women marching, band and motorcycle contingents

New Delhi: Central armed police forces (CAPFs) will showcase all-women marching, band and motorcycle contingents during the Republic Day parade on January 26 in the national capital, officials said Thursday.

The act by the "combined" daredevil bikers team comprising women personnel from CAPFs such as the Border Security Force (BSF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is going to be a first-time event during the parade, the officials told PTI.

These women personnel riding 350 CC Royal Enfield Bullets will ride through the parade route before various Indian Air Force (IAF) assets in the sky take centre stage, they said.

Women marching and band teams from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the SSB and the BSF will be part of CAPF contingents at the annual parade that ambles down the citadel of power at Raisina Hills to the 17th-century Red Fort via the India Gate, showing India's military prowess and cultural richness.

The marching contingents of these CAPFs will have 144 personnel each while the band teams will have 72 members.

The Delhi Police too will have all-women marching and band contingents during the Republic Day parade.

The CAPFs work under the command of the Union Home Ministry and are deployed to render a variety of internal security duties apart from border guarding and VIP security tasks.