100 women combatants have been deployed along Indo-China border.

About 15 border outposts along the Indo-China border will see 100 women combatants.

NEW DELHI: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has deployed as many as 100 ‘veeranganas’ (women combatants) at 15 border outposts along the dangerous Indo-China border. This is the first time India has deployed women troops right at the front, at least on the one which is considered to be the most arduous and tricky given the harsh climatic conditions.

The force recently completed the process for deployment of the women personnel at select forward posts, ITBP director general Krishna Chaudhary told the media during his annual press conference. The contingent, trained in war craft and weapon firing, has been posted after the Border out Posts (BoPs) were made “gender neutral” and other facilities were created for them, he said.

Officials said while a maximum of these women have been sent to Indo-Tibetan Border Police BoPs in the Ladakh frontier in Jammu and Kashmir, some have been posted at other locations in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The total numbers of the women personnel, who have been posted at BoPs, is about 100, they said, adding some more BoPs will have women personnel in the coming days.

The force had earlier this year commissioned 500 women troops for deployment on the India-China border in its constabulary ranks after training them for 44-weeks. The posts where these women have been deployed are situated at heights of between 8,000 and 14,000 feet, including the ‘Mana pass’ border post, the last village on the Indian side in Uttarakhand.

The force plans to have women personnel make up at least 40 per cent of its strength at these forward posts. The ITBP, which marked its 55th Raising Day on Monday, was raised in the aftermath of the 1962 Chinese aggression. The women, who were recruited in the force in February 2015, hail from various states with 97 of them, the highest, coming from the hill State of Uttarakhand.

Women constables were first inducted in this 80,000 personnel strong force in 2008, but they were until now only deployed for rendering law and order duties in troubled areas and in some instances at the Nathu La pass to facilitate traders and for frisking women. ITBP has a total of 1,661 women personnel in its ranks with the maximum number of 1,033 in the constabulary ranks.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com