India, Jan. 26 -- Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) assistant commandant Simran Bala created history by leading an all-male contingent of the paramilitary force at the ceremonial Republic Day parade along New Delhi's Kartavya Path on Monday.

The 26-year-old officer, who hails from Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir, commanded a squad of 147 personnel from the country's largest paramilitary force to the tune of the CRPF song 'Desh ke hum hain rakshak' (We are the guards of the nation), played by the force band during the 77th Republic Day celebrations.

While women CRPF officers have led Republic Day contingents in the past, this marked the first time that a woman officer commanded a full contingent of male personnel at the annual national e...