RAF sends women team to Liberia

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Taloja: The Rapid Action Force, popularly known as the RAF is ready to send the first all women police force on a UN mission to Liberia. CNN-IBN reports on why the force was chosen and what it has achieved in the last 14 years.

Mob violence in Bangalore in April 2005 after actor Rajkumar's death, the communal riots in Bhiwandi near Mumbai in July and the recent clashes between traders and policemen in Delhi's Seelampur area following the Sealing drive by the MCD – these are just a few examples of the many riots that occurred across the country in 2006.

All of them had one single common thread running through them. The men in blue of the RAF who were called in to restore normalcy each time the situation spiraled out of control.

But what is it that gives the RAF its reputation.

CRPF DG J K Sinha says, "The best men from the CRPF are drawn to make up the RAF and the RAF has men from every region. So there will be a Bengali, a Madrasi and a Haryanvi – all working together. So it has a reputation of not being partisan."

But the RAF hasn't just proved its mettle in the national arena but has spread its wings well beyond with successful UN missions in Kosovo and Haiti and on it's fourteenth birthday the force is all set to add another feather to it's cap. This time an all women police contingent to the troubled country of Liberia.

126 women are now going through their final training before embarking on their duties overseas. But more than that they will also be inspiration for the women of Liberia and this assignment follows a special request from the Liberian President.

“The current President of Liberia is a lady and wanted to set an example to the women in her country. If these women can do why can’t you?. Ki agar yeh auratein kar sakti hain to aap kyun nahin" Sinha adds.

With a track record of quelling communal riots in India these women will now do another blue beret proud – the UN police force.