Rapid Action Force

Defence India

October 7, 2017

A commemorative postage stamp on 25 years (1992-2017) of RAF, a specialised wing of Indian CRPF :

Issued by India

Issued on Oct 7, 2017

Issued for : The RAF is completing 25 glorious years of service to the nation in 2017. Department of Posts is pleased to issue a postage stamp to commemorate the silver jubilee at Rapid Action Force.

Credits :
Stamp/First Day Cover/Brochure : Shri Kamleshwar Singh
Cancellation Cachet : Smt. Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 655500

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : Security Printing Press, Hyderabad

About :

Rapid Action Force (RAF) is a specialized force which has been created to restore peace & harmony and preserve life and property during social disturbances and natural calamity etc. It is a specially selected, trained and equipped Force within the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and was raised in October 1992. Ten CRPF Battalions were thus trained and re-organized into RAF and are stationed in Ahmadabad, Aligarh, Allahabad, Bhopal, Coimbatore, Delhi, Secunderabad, Jamshedpur, Meerut and Mumbai.
With the motto “Serving Humanity Through Sensitive Policing”, RAF with its component of Mahila Personnel, seeks to control communal flare-ups and violence using minimum force. The objective of this impartial and zero response time Force is not to kill or maim but to effectively dissuade the rioters.
This young Force is a proud recipient of the President’s colour in the 11^th year of coming into existence, during the RAF Anniversary on October 7, 2003 in Delhi.
Dressed in blue disrupted pattern uniform symbolizing peace, especially trained and equipped with non-lethal weaponry, the RAF personnel instill immediate sense of security and confidence amongst the general public and victims of riots, violence and natural calamities. Hence, this force is in great demand by the states to manage various crisis situations. RAF has a consistent record of zero tolerance for human rights violations.
The Rapid Action Force has also rendered invaluable humanitarian services during 1993 floods in Delhi, 1994 Plague in Surat, 1995 floods in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh , 1997 super cyclone in Orissa, 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, 2004 Tsunami in South India and during heavy floods in Maharashtra and Gujarat in 2005 and 2006, 2011 and 2012, farmers’ agitation in Gautambudh Nagar (UP) and during unrest in Assam. RAF earned laurels from not only the State administrations but also from the general public for helping them during difficult times.
Frequent familiarization exercises covering sensitive areas are done by RAF units to keep them abreast of all developments on various social and law and order fronts. RAF also undertakes civic action programmes in its area of responsibility by selecting socially useful activities and establishes instant rapport with general public which is very helpful in restoring peace and harmony during the times of disturbances.
RAF has further proved its worth in the international arena by deputing special contingents for United Nations Peace Keeping efforts in Haiti in 1955 and in Kosovo from 2000 to 2005. On a special request by United Nations, Govt. of India advised CRPF to deploy a Female Formed Police Unit (FFPU) on United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in Liberia (West Africa). RAF selected, trained and equipped this contingent successfully, and, for the first time in the history of the United Nations, a fully operational female contingent of RAF was deployed in Monrovia (Liberia) in January 2007. This Female Formed Police Unit, with their dedication and hard work achieved excellent operational successes by recovering sophisticated arms, ammunition and explosives as well as large quantity of contraband items including drugs, and earned appreciations from all quarters at the international level.
Text : Based on the material received from proponent.