On 16th Jan 2021, Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of the Bhadravathi RAF center in Shivamogga, Karnataka; This is going to be the 97th battalion of Rapid Action Force (RAF) in Bhadravathi, Karnataka.

Along with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yediyurappa, Pralhad Joshi Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Deputy CM Karnataka, DG CRPF, and other notable dignitaries along with 10,000 people were also presented there at the Bhoomi pooja ceremony. Shilpa Bhawana has anchored the ceremony with the utmost grace, protocol, and beauty of her words. Despite being born and brought up in Delhi, having roots in Haryana, she welcomed the chief guest in Kannada style and Langauge and people went gaga over it resulting in immense love from the audience.

Mr. Shah said Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had written to him seeking an RAF unit in the State, promising suitable land. The unit would help ensure peace in Karnataka and neighboring States.

The campus is going to take place in a 50.29-acre land provided by the Karnataka government authority. This campus is going to serve as the headquarters of 97 Bn RAF and the proposed 314 quarters will be going to serve the housing needs of RAF personnel and their families. According to the needs of personnel and families, the campus will have facilities like a hospital, Kendriya Vidyalaya, an administrative building, a family welfare Centre, and sports facilities including a stadium. A senior official said to PTI “ A total of 1,270 troops of the newly raised 97th RAF battalion, including 106 women personnel will be based here.”

Shivamogga Lok Sabha member B.Y. Raghavendra has said “The RPF has chosen Bhadravati as a strategic place for its campus. The place is close to the national highway connecting Bengaluru. An airport is coming up in Shivamogga and it is also close to the harbor in Mangaluru”.

The 97th RAF battalion will have its jurisdiction over several districts in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, and Pondicherry for deployment by the Central Government to deal with communal incidents, riots, protests, or events involving large congregations. It is going to be a big step to maintain peace in the southern part of the nation. Deployment of the RAF battalion will cut off the response time all together and this will help state forces as well in maintaining social justice, peace, and law and order.

Dr. AP Maheswari, Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) expressed his gratitude to the government for allocating the land to CRPF and the people for giving the force a place in their hearts. The DG said that RAF is a people-friendly, gender-sensitive, and neutral force that is not only demanded by all states across the country but has also made its mark on international forums.

The honorable  Home Minister appreciated the contribution of RAF in the maintenance of peace and order across the country and remarked that RAF personnel have earned trust and credibility owing to expertise in countries like Haiti, Kosova, Liberia, etc. every year. It has a special battalion for women to help in a specific situation.

With this campus, RAF is going to become more strong and more people are going to benefit from this. The peacekeeping harmony will continue in the southern region of the country as well.