After 15-Year Wait, Over 250 CRPF Officers Receive First Promotion

More than 250 officers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the country's largest paramilitary force, have received their first career promotion after a wait of 14 to 15 years, officials confirmed on Sunday. The promotions, effective June 26, were the result of prolonged litigation and a conditional resolution of service issues related to seniority and vacancies.

The CRPF headquarters issued orders promoting 263 Assistant Commandant-rank (AC) officers to Deputy Commandant (DC). The AC rank is the entry-level officer post in central armed police forces. According to a senior CRPF officer, the development is significant as it resolves a long-standing stagnation that had affected morale. He noted that the first promotion should ideally come within five years of service.

A Supreme Court order issued on April 16 clarified the legal position, prompting the CRPF to coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to issue the delayed orders. However, the newly promoted officers will continue in their current postings due to operational and administrative constraints, the officer added.

The CRPF described the move as a "significant milestone" in a social media post on X. Field units are holding rank pinning ceremonies to honour the promoted personnel. A second officer stated that these promotions will create a ripple effect, as lower-rank inspectors will now be eligible for promotion to AC rank, benefiting subordinate ranks across the force.

In April, CRPF Director General G.P. Singh had assured personnel that efforts were underway to address the "biggest problem" of promotion stagnation. The CRPF, with a strength of 3.25 lakh personnel, operates under the MHA and is the lead internal security force, deployed in counter-Naxal operations, North Eastern insurgencies, and terrorist-affected regions of Jammu and Kashmir.