NEW DELHI: In an honest submission, the Army chief General Bipin Rawat said that society as a whole will have to be prepared and women will have to take call for induction into a combat role. “With equal opportunity comes equal responsibility,” he said and highlighted the operational ethos of the Army thereby hinting at inherent danger and hardships involved.
Responding to question on induction of women in a combat role, Rawat said they are serving in arms like Signals and Corps of Engineers. However, they are not inducted into frontline direct combat formations and elaborated upon hardships faced by men in these roles.
Giving instances, he said a tank crew of three while serving in the deserts sleep under the tank at night, cook their food in the open and then move the next morning. Similarly, patrols, sometimes of 30 to 35 durations in places in Arunachal Pradesh, sleep on tarpaulin ground sheets and performing morning ablutions in rough terrain.
"You have to see society as a whole. I have said that if we induct women into a combat role, they will have to share equal responsibility like their male counterparts because equal opportunity must come with equal responsibility. Which means that they will have to perform exactly the same task," he said.
During patrols and combat "there is no toilet. Everybody gets his bottle, he goes out, God knows where, and he returns after some time. If women are willing to move out in that environment, the women folk themselves need to take a call. Once the women are willing to take this kind of call, we will address this issue," he said. Incidentally, the IAF has inducted women into combat and at present three women pilots undergoing fighter jet training. However, they may not be posted to forward bases.
Women officers have been fighting to get into combat role for a while and on their submission, Indian Air Force, from last year, has opened fighter stream for them. The first batch of fighter pilots is being under training and will soon join the force. Similarly, the navy has also come forward to give a more important role to women officers.