CRPF to appoint Sindhu as Commandant and brand ambassador

The country's largest paramilitary force will appoint Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu as its brand ambassador and confer the honorary rank of Commandant on her.

Official sources said the Central Reserve Police Force has moved a formal proposal in this regard to the Union Home Ministry and after getting the required sanctions the badminton ace will be honoured and presented its rank badges and camouflage combat fatigues at a ceremonial event.

It is understood that the CRPF has informed Sindhu about the proposal and taken her consent.

A Commandant rank in the CRPF is equivalent to the position of a Superintendent of Police (SP). Such an officer commands a battalion of about 1,000 personnel when posted in field operations.

Sources said the 300,000-strong force, the mainstay for anti-Naxal operations and various internal security duty tasks in the country, chose Sindhu for the honour as her appointment will not only motivate personnel to do better but also send the message of women empowerment and that they are second to none.

Being the brand ambassador of the force, they said, Sindhu will be asked to hold motivational sessions with troops when she is not playing or practising and her messages would be sent to all personnel deployed across the country.

The Central Reserve Police Force also has the credit of raising the first all-women's battalion in a central paramilitary or a police force way back in 1987 and at present has four such contingents, with three in active duty.

A few years back, the Border Security Force appointed cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador.

Sindhu won a historic silver in the women's singles badminton at the recently-concluded Rio Olympics and was conferred India's highest sporting honour -- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- along with other Olympic stars wrestler Sakshi Malik (bronze medallist), gymnast Dipa Karmakar and shooter Jitu Rai by President Pranab Mukherjee.