RPF holds women empowerment programme focussed on strength and safety

The Railway Protection Force (RPF), Thiruvananthapuram Division Southern Railway, organised a women empowerment programme titled “Celebrating Strength, Safety and Resilience”. The initiative was designed to empower women personnel of the force by enhancing their professional capabilities, personal resilience, and overall well-being — key attributes for effective policing in today’s dynamic environment.

Divyakant Chandrakar, Divisional Railway Manager of Southern Railway, Thiruvananthapuram, inaugurated the event. The women RPF personnel who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to ensuring passenger safety, reflecting the growing and critical role of women in railway security, were felicitated by Garima Chandrakar, President of the Southern Railway Thiruvananthapuram Division Women’s Welfare Organisation.

A practical session on self-defence for women personnel was also organised for the participants. More than 100 women officers and staff of RPF from various Divisions of Southern Railway participated. Muhammed Haneef, Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS), Divisional Security Commissioner, RPF Thiruvananthapuram, welcomed the gathering. The programme was conceived to create a space where they can reflect, learn, and equip themselves to face the evolving challenges of modern policing with confidence. Empowering women in uniform is not an option, it is essential for building a more sensitive, effective, and future-ready force, said Mr. Haneef.

The programme also featured speakers including Ajeetha Begum, IPS, Inspector General of Police, Economic Offences Wing; Indira Raveendran, member, Kerala Women’s Commission; Shobha Jasmine, Chief Medical Superintendent, Railway Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram; Olympian K.M. Beenamol.