3 min readNew DelhiJul 31, 2026 10:21 PM IST
Sixteen companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including 12 of its Rapid Action Force (RAF), were on Friday ordered to be withdrawn from Delhi Police duties with immediate effect, days after RAF came under scrutiny over the use of pellet guns against protesters during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) march to Parliament on July 20.
The order, issued by the DCP (1st Battalion) of Delhi Armed Police, follows a Ministry of Home Affairs direction dated July 30. It said that the companies, identified by CRPF authorities, may be “relieved/de-inducted” from Delhi Police deployment from July 31.
The communication also asked for necessary directions to be issued at the earliest regarding the deployment of relieving or substitute forces in the city.
The order comes amid scrutiny of the RAF’s handling of the crowd during the July 20 protest.
The Indian Express had earlier reported that an internal review by the RAF flagged serious operational lapses during the march, with Inspector General (RAF) Seema Dhundhia allegedly telling personnel that the “force gradient” adopted that day was not in accordance with prescribed standards or RAF training.
In policing, a force gradient refers to different levels of force that police may use depending on the threat or resistance they face.
The observation came after an internal review flagged serious operational lapses when protesters were marching towards the Parliament, with at least three persons receiving pellet gun injuries. The CRPF later went on to order an inquiry into the sequence of events.
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Around 150 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies, each comprising around 100 personnel, had been deployed across Central Delhi during the CJP protest, with several companies airlifted from Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh had on Monday backed his personnel acting in the “bona fide discharge of their duties”.
“As the Director General of CRPF, I want to assure each one of you that whether it is an operational battalion or a law and order unit, whatever decisions you take and whatever actions you carry out in the bona fide discharge of your duties, I take responsibility for all those decisions and actions,” he had said at the force’s investiture ceremony.
A specialised unit of CRPF, RAF was raised in 1992 to deal with riots and other public disturbances.
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