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It had been the year for women as leaders all across the globe from all walks of life made and broke records. In another of those proud moments, Indian women will script history on Republic Day as an all-women police officers’ contingent will march in the R-Day parade. For the first time in its history, the Delhi Police will have an all-women contingent marching down the Kartavya Path during the Republic Day parade on January 26, officials have said.
This year the contingent will be led by IPS officer Shweta K Sugathan. Sugathan already made a mark last year when she led the contingent (mix of all officers) for the R-Day parade. According to the city police, it follows a policy of recruiting people from the eight states in the northeast to “bridge the gap” between the force and the people from that region.
In 2023, Sugathan became the first woman in 48 years to lead a contingent after Kiran Bedi.
To provide a fillip to gender equality and women empowerment, the marching contingent of the Delhi Police will comprise only women personnel, they said, adding that 80 per cent of the participants from the force in the 75th Republic Day parade this year are from the northeastern states.
Shweta K Sugathan hails from Kerala and pursued her Bachelor’s in Tech in 2015. She took charge as the Additional DCP-II North District of Delhi Police in October last year. She had also served as the Assistant Commissioner of Police, in Chanakyapuri in 2019.
The Delhi Police marched on the Kartavya Path, earlier known as the Rajpath, for the first time in 1955. In 1975, Kiran Bedi took the helm as the first woman to command the pack and then came Sugathan’s turn almost five decades later, leading 144 soldiers. Since 1955, Delhi Police has received the Best Marching Contingent award 40 times in the 26th January parade.
Hibu said the Delhi Police has added another feather in its cap this year as the women’s pipe band will be led by a female officer -constable Ruyangunuo Kense. Last year, a female-dedicated pipe band was inducted in the parade, but it was led by a male inspector, Rajender Singh.
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