Women On the Warpath ; Assailed by Charges of Bias Against Its Women Officers, the Armed Forces Examine the Feasibility of Inducting Women Into Combat and Offering Them Permanent Commissions
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Summary
It was a statement that reflected the Indian Army's qualms about employing women in combat. Barely 24 hours after Lieutenant Sushmita Chakraborty shot herself dead in Udhampur, Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General S. Pattabhiraman bluntly told a newspaper that the army could do without women in its fighting arm. His remarks drew severe flak from women's groups with Girija Vyas, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, slamming the statement as irresponsible even as BJP leader Sushma Swaraj demanded the vice- chief's resignation.
Pattabhiraman's remarks (he has since apologised) have triggered the single biggest debate on the status of women in the military since their induction in 1992. In the aftermath of the vice-chief's observations, the armed forces now face two uncomfortable questions: are lady officers ready for combat? And should they be offered a permanent commission? Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has directed the Chiefs of Staff Committee to examine the feasibility of both these aspects. In the coming weeks, the three service chiefs will test the waters and issue directives to their forces for a relook at women in uniform, usually treated with a mix of concern and condescension: good for support duties but unsuitable for forward areas, and certainly not for combat.See the full content of this document
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Women On the Warpath ; Assailed by Charges of Bias Against Its Women Officers, the Armed Forces Examine the Feasibility of Inducting Women Into Combat and Offering Them Permanent Commissions
The armed forces are overwhelmingly dominated by men-the army has 34,000 male officers as against 933 women officers. "Men are not used to seeing women as officers or superiors, and this will continue until we build up comfort levels," says Surgeon Vice- Admiral Punita Arora (retired), the first lady officer to rise to the second-senior-most rank in the armed forces.
E...See the full content of this document
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