COVID-19: CRPF to conduct passing-out ceremony via video conference

The CRPF, India's largest paramilitary force, will conduct the passing-out ceremony for its current batch of trainee officers via video conference on Friday in view of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

While Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy will address and read out the message of Home Minister Amit Shah to these young officers via video conference, CRPF Director General (DG) A P Maheshwari will talk to them from the forces' headquarters at Lodhi Road in Delhi.

The 42 directly appointed gazetted officers (DAGOs), including four women, will assemble in the 360-seater auditorium at their training academy located in Kadarpur village, Gurgaon at 10 am for the passing-out ceremony and will take oath to serve the country.

"The entire drill of a traditional passing out parade for commissioning of the trainee officers of the 51st batch will be conducted indoors keeping in mind the coronavirus outbreak and related protocols," Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) spokesperson Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Moses Dhinakaran told PTI.

"All norms of social distancing, sanitisation and other COVID-19 procedures will be duly followed during the ceremony that will be held on Friday," he said.

The best cadets will be awarded by the academy director and he, along with other senior faculty members, will participate in the pipping ceremony, the spokesperson said.

The weblink for the event is also being shared with the families of these officers so that they can watch it live, Dhinakaran said.

These officers, selected by the UPSC after an all-India exam, have been imparted a 52-week training in field tactics, combat operations, weapons training and legal education among others and after passing out, they will be appointed as assistant commandants (ACs) in various field units of the force.

An AC rank officer is the entry level for cadre officers in the paramilitary or Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

The batch joined the academy in February last year but due to the coronavirus outbreak, the passing-out parade cannot be held in the ground as it usually takes place, a senior official said.

The officers will stay in the academy till the lockdown, he said.

With about 3.25 lakh personnel, the CRPF is the country's lead internal security force. Its three main combat theatres are anti-Naxal operations, counter-terrorist offensive in the Kashmir Valley and taking on armed insurgency in the northeastern states.