NEW DELHI: Fulfilling a long withstanding, the Army deployed women soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir for the very first time. An Army officer confirming the news said, “Army moved in two sections of female soldiers of the Assam Rifles in the month of May. The deployment is at two different locations with a section each at one place.
A section in the Army is of 10 soldiers. These are under the charge of a female officer of the Army.”“Army had a long standing demand of the female soldiers for security duties where gender sensitivities are involved.” added the officer. The locations are in the areas like Tangdhar, Uri, Keran where women can be frisked whenever necessitated. These women soldiers in north Kashmir near the LoC will be assigned duties like security duties, sentry, manning check posts, frisking and guard duty.
Although Army has recruited the first batch of 99 women trainees in the rank in January 2020 but they are to undergo 61 weeks of training which will include the basic military training and advanced provost training. Meanwhile, the Army has kickstarted the process to grant Permanent Commission to eligible women officers, nearly two weeks after the defence ministry approved the proposal.
Officials said the Army headquarters has invited applications by August 31 for grant of Permanent Commission (PC) to women officers recruited under Women Special Entry Scheme (WSES) and Short Service Commission (SSC). The officials said women officers who have joined the Army through the WSES and SSC are being considered for grant of the PC.