New Delhi: In a departure from the past when the army never mixed their training with paramilitary forces, a batch of the Indian Army is currently receiving training in ‘public order and crowd management’ at the Rapid Action Force Academy for Public Order (RAPO) before moving for the United Nations assignments. RAPO is the first and only of its kind of training institute in the field of riot control, crowd management and public order management in the country.

As per the government policy, there is a pact from 138 countries for exchange training programs. Ever since its inception, the RAPO which is a unit of the elite RAF, has been imparting training to States and UT police forces including Delhi Police, other paramilitary forces, but never had army personnel within its campus for training except for a brief program in 2019.

Beginning last week, a batch of the Indian Army is getting tips for public order from the highly trained and even much qualified instructors of RAPO drawn from CRPF, RAF. The unit is to be deputed at Sudan as a part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission.

“The academy is being developed as the Centre of Excellence to enhance the capability of the different police force personnel in public order management and also for training, Research and Development (R&D) on the concept,” said Akhilesh Kumar Singh, DIG RAPO.

Police personnel from across the world which includes Central armed police forces of India, police force of various Indian states including Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are being trained at the academy in various subjects with focus on public order.

“Since inception, RAF Academy has trained 14318 men in uniform on various subjects which include crowd management, media management, human rights, legal aspects concerning police personnel in India,” said Singh, also the recipient of the President of India Medal for Distinguished Services in 2018.

The faculty posted at RAPO are highly experienced personnel of RAF/CRPF and have been pooled in with varied educational backgrounds to match the requirements of RAPO to optimize competency as well as international standards. Myanmar Police were the first foreign police batch to be trained at RAF Academy in December 2019 followed by Zimbabwe Police in March, 2020.

The academy also conducts pre-induction training for MFPU and FFPU personnel for various UN Missions abroad. “Maintaining the highest traditions of CRPF as on date three courses are being run at the institute,” added Singh.

The one-week riot control training is being imparted to the Indian Army personnel – three JCOs and 9 NCOs. After completing this riot control training, this Army personnel will be leaving for the UN Mission in South Sudan and Lebanon. Before this, RAPO has trained 15 Indian Army personnel on riot control in 2019.

Four weeks-long training of trainers on mob dispersal is being imparted to the Tripura Police. After successful completion of this course, these 60 personnel would be utilized as master trainers for imparting training to Tripura police personnel. Another four weeks RAF special Induction Training for NGOs – 116 strength – is designed for CRPF personnel, who are recently inducted in the RAF from various units of CRPF.

Spread across 25 acres of land, the RAPO was inaugurated by former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in November 2013. The academy received formal approval from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in November 2019 with the sanctioned strength of 201 personnel with an officer of the rank of DIG as the head of the institution.