Archana Ramasundram: First woman to head paramilitary force in India

IPS officer Archana Ramasundram became the first woman police officer named to head a paramilitary force as part of changes in the security establishment. She will lead the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) that is deployed along India’s border with Nepal and Bhutan. Not just that she is going to be heading a force of 60000 troops. Terrific, right?

The 1980-batch IPS officer is the first to be posted to head a border guarding force and would continue in the post till September 2017. Ramasundram, presently working as director of the National Crime Records Bureau.

The force is also responsible for the security of states like Chattisgarh and Bihar against naxal attacks. Ramasundaram, who is going to be supervising the armymen at the border, is currently the Director of National Crime Records Bureau.

This is not the first time Ramasundaram has smashed gender barriers to include females in stronger roles. Before this, she became the first female Additional director at CBI in 2014. However, some misconceptions in her appointment between the government and the selection committee led her into shifting to the NCRB and quitting her position of the Additional Director at CBI.

Also Read: Nina Singh becomes the first female IPS officer of Rajasthan to get Police Medal