Women needed to combat women: Bipin Rawat

New Delhi: Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat said on Saturday that women would first be inducted into the military police before considering other options in the armed force for them. Women, he said, need to be given combat roles in the Army as terrorists often used women as shields.

“Firstly, we will start with women as military police jawans, will take next step after success… Because many times, during operation, we have to face people and many a times ladies come in front of us,” General Rawat told media after attending a passing out parade ceremony at Dehradun’s Indian Military Academy here.

General Rawat said that the process to allow women in combat roles is ongoing and they will be recruited for positions in the military police. Presently, women are only recruited into selective areas of the Army, like medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings.

According to reports, India will be joining countries like Germany, Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden and Israel that have already allowed women in combat roles in their Army.

Last year, in a major step forward, Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh became the first women fighter pilots to be formally commissioned by the Indian Air Force.

Answering a question on the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, General Rawat said youth in the Valley are being instigated through a campaign of misinformation on social media.

“Pakistan is spreading disinformation among the youth of Kashmir with doctored videos and messages. This is further supported by some people in the Valley who spread it and glamorise the young boys who have joined terrorist organisations,” he said.

The Army Chief, presiding over a colourful passing out parade by 490 gentlemen cadets, said that security forces have to devise ways to counter this.

Kashmir has remained in a volatile state since July 2016, following the elimination of poster-boy militant Burhan Wani in an encounter in Tral. There have been wide-spread protests, including some in the middle of active security operations, leading to security forces adapting a tougher stance.