Warangal police raise women-only commando unit ‘Team Rudrama’
WARANGAL: Drawing inspiration from Rudrama Devi, the Kakatiya dynasty ruler who broke gender barriers, Warangal police have raised a women-only police commando unit named Team Rudrama to handle frontline emergency operations.
The elite unit was constituted by Warangal police commissioner Sunpreet Singh and will function on par with male commando forces, officials said.
Of the 40 women constables recruited in 2024 and trained under the Armed Reserve (AR) division, 21 were selected for Team Rudrama after a screening process. The selected personnel underwent nearly a month of intensive commando-style training on the lines of elite forces such as the Greyhounds.
Training included long-distance running, physical drills, rope climbing, firing practice and handling of sophisticated weapons such as AK-47s, self-loading rifles and INSAS rifles.
The team includes two sisters. “My younger sister, Swarna Bharathi, and I became proficient in weapons handling. We are trained to assemble and strip weapons even while blindfolded, which builds operational confidence in low-visibility situations,” said Salvi Sushma, an AR constable from Team Rudrama.
She added that the personnel practise firing regularly and undergo physical training every day on par with male police personnel. “We want to show that women can protect society just as effectively as men,” she said.
Another team member, N Bhuvaneshwari, said the specialised training had given her the confidence to perform emergency operations alongside male counterparts. “People often think women cannot handle high-risk duties, but our training proved otherwise. We are physically and mentally prepared for riot control, VIP security and emergency operations,” she said.
Police officials said the induction of a women’s commando unit within the AR division marked a significant step towards gender-inclusive policing. The team will be deployed for special operations, emergency duties and sensitive law-and-order situations.
“These officers are as quick as the Rapid Action Force. They can reach an emergency spot within 20 minutes,” said Vemula Srinivas, additional deputy commissioner of police (Armed Reserve), Warangal commissionerate. He added that the unit includes women with national-level athletics backgrounds and others with academic qualifications such as engineering, MSc and MCA.
