Initially, women to don military police role: Army chief

Army chief General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday that women will first be recruited into the military police before being sent for combat.

"We will start with women as military police jawans and will take the next step after this success. When we go to an operation, we have to face the people and many times ladies come in front of us," he said after attending a Passing out Parade (PoP) in the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.

The Army chief's comments are seen as significant, and suggest that, if inducted, women in the forces may be used to tackle women protesters. This is because security forces have recently been facing stone-pelting mobs and protests led by women during anti-terror operations in the Valley.

Since the killing of Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen leader last July, the Valley has witnessed increased violence with many women and children coming out onto the streets to protest against the Forces.

The subject of women donning battle fatigues has been a sticky one with some in the Army opposed to it in the past. Currently, women have been recruited for selected roles in medical, education, legal, signals and engineering wings. Last year, the Indian Air Force commissioned three women as fighter pilots for the first time.

If inducted, India would join a host of countries that have already taken women as combatants into their armies. Countries like Israel, Germany, USA, Australia, Canada, and France are some that have already opened up combat roles for women in their armies.

Speaking about the situation in Kashmir, General Rawat said the youths there are being misinformed and misguided by forces who do not want peace. "Security forces have to devise ways to counter this," he said while addressing the gentlemen cadets. He asked the cadets to be ready to fight terrorism, which, he said, is the biggest security challenge before the forces as of now.