In 1888, the British Indian Army (BIA) established a military branch known as the Indian Military Nursing Service (IMNS), which recruited female nurses. This was the first time that the BIA recruited female service members into its ranks.[4] Female IMNS nurses served during World War I and World War II, 350 of whom either died, were taken as prisoners of war or were declared missing in action; one of the largest casualties suffered by the IMNS occurred on February 1942, when the SS Kuala, which was transporting several nurses, was sunk by Imperial Japanese Armed Forces bombers.[4] In May 1942, the Women's Auxiliary Corps was established to assist BIA operations; by the end of World War II, it had recruited 11,500 women.[5]
Under the Army Act of 1950, women were ineligible for regular commissions except in "such corps, departments or branches which the central government may specify by way of notifications."[9] On 1 November 1958, the Army Medical Corps became the first unit of the Indian Army to grant regular commissions to women.[10] Since 1992, women were first inducted in to various branches of Indian Army only in short service commission.[9] In 2008, women were first inducted as permanent commissioned officers in Legal and Education corps, in 2020 they were first inducted in 8 more corps as permanent commissioned officers.[11] As of 2020, women are not yet allowed as combatants in the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Army or other special forces, but they can join paratroopers wings of their respective arms like para EME, para signals, para ASC, etc.
Here is the status of women's induction in various branches of army in any role as well as in coveted permanent commissioned officers role.[12][9]
On 27 August 1976, Gertrude Alice Ram, the military nursing service Matron-in-Chief, became the first woman officer in the Indian Army to attain the rank of Major General, and the first female officer in the Indian Armed Forces to attain two-star rank. With Ram's promotion, India became only the third nation in the world to promote a woman to flag rank, behind the United States and France.[18]
In 1992, the Indian Army began inducting women officers in non-medical roles.[19] On 19 January 2007, the United Nations first all female peacekeeping force made up of 105 Indian policewomen was deployed to Liberia.[20]Ruchi Sharma became the first operational paratrooper in the Indian Army, joining in 1996.[21]
Priya Jhingan, commissioned in 1993, is one of the first 25 women to join the Indian Army as an officer.[22][23][24] Alka Khurana Sharma also one of the first women to join the Indian Army and served ten years in the Army Ordnance Corps. In 1992, she was the first woman officer to participate in the Army Day and the Republic Day parades.[25]SapperShanti Tigga was the first female jawan (private rank) in the Indian Army who joined in 2011.[14] Priya Semwal's husband had fallen in a counter-insurgency operation in Arunachal Pradesh in 2012; she went onto join as an officer in the Indian Army Corps of EME, the first wife of a jawan whose husband had fallen in a counter-insurgency operation to do so.[14]
Anjana Bhaduria, who joined the first-ever batch of female cadets in 1992 at the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, is the first female officer in the Indian Army to win the gold medal. Including Priya Jhingan and her, the first batch of women officers of the Indian Army was commissioned in March 1993.[30][14]Divya Ajith Kumar, commissioned in 2010, is the first female officer to receive the Sword of Honor.[31][32] She led all women contingent of 154 women officers and cadets during the Republic Day parade of 2015.[32]
Captain Swati Singh, an engineer and then only female officer in her 63 Brigade of the Indian Army, is the first female officer to be deployed at Nathu La pass as Signals in-charge.[14] In February 2020 Madhuri Kanitkar became the third woman to become a Lieutenant General in the Indian Army. Along with her husband who is also a Lieutenant General they will be the first couple to both reach the rank.[33]
On 17 February 2020, the Supreme Court of India said that women officers in Indian Army can get command positions at par with male officers. The court said that the government's arguments against it were discriminatory, disturbing and based on stereotype. The court also said that permanent commission should be available to all women, regardless of years of service, and that this order must be implemented in 3 months.[34] The government had earlier said troops would not accept women as commanding officers.[35] Consequently, 8 more corps or branches started to induct women as commissioned officers.[12]
In October 1976, Dr. Barbara Ghosh became the first woman officer in the Indian Navy to attain the rank of commander. Having joined the navy in 1961, she was also the first woman medical officer to receive a permanent naval commission.[36]
On 8 March 2018, International Women's Day the six-member crew of INSV Tarini that participated in Navika Sagar Parikrama namely Lt Cdr Vartika Joshi, Lt Cdr P. Swathi, Lt Cdr Pratibha Jammwal, Lt Payal Gupta, Lt Aishwarya Boddapati, and Lt Shourgrakpam Vijaya Devi were conferred Nari Shakti Puraskar for outstanding contribution towards women empowerment. The award was received by Lieutenant Shourgrakpam Vijaya Devi, who is Northeast India's first female officer on behalf of team.[39] All six women officers were also awarded the Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) and the Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award.[40]
On 2 December 2019, Sub-lieutenant Shubhangi Swaroop became the first woman pilot for the Indian Navy. She will be flying the Dornier 228 surveillance aircraft.[41] In September 2020, two women officers - Sub Lieutenants Kumudini Tyagi and Riti Singh - were deployed onboard warships for the first time. They were selected to serve as airborne tacticians to operate from the deck of warships.[42][43]
On 26 August 2021, Surgeon Vice Admiral Sheila S. Mathai became the fourth woman to be promoted to three-star rank and the first direct navy woman vice-admiral. Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin is the third woman to hold three-star rank in the Indian Navy.[44]
Indian Air Force inducts women in all roles, including combat and support roles. As of September 2020, there were 1,875 female officers serving in the IAF, including 10 pilots and 18 navigators.[46]
The first woman officer in the Indian Air Force, Vijayalakshmi Ramanan, was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps and was seconded to the Air Force. She retired as a Wing Commander in the Air Force in 1979.[47]
In August 1966, Flight Lieutenant Kanta Handa, an IAF medical officer, became the first female IAF officer to receive a commendation for her service during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war.[48] In 1994, women joined the air force as pilots in support role; Gunjan Saxena and Sreevidya Rajan[49] were among the first women to fly in a combat zone during Kargil War (May–July 1999).[14]
In 2006, Deepika Misra became the first IAF woman pilot to train for the Sarang display team.[14] In 2012, Nivedita Singh (Flight Lieutenant) from Rajasthan, became the first woman from the Indian Air Force to summit the Mount Everest.[14]
Wing Commander Shaliza Dhami became the first woman officer to be given permanent commission with the Indian Air Force.[54] Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal became the first woman to receive a Yudh Seva Medal.[55]
Special Forces of India
As of 2020, Women are not yet allowed as combatant in the combat specialist forces, such as Ghatak Force, para commandos, etc.
The para commandos is a voluntary service and the recruitment procedure of Para and Para SF does not strictly mention any gender for the soldiers that can participate. It is not clear if any women have been able to participate or qualify for this ELITE force.
The Indian Airforce and the Indian Navy have allowed women to join the Garud Commando Force and the MARCOS respectively. It is not clear as of 2023, if any women have been able to qualify.
Women can join the Indian Coast Guard in officer ranks as general duty, pilot or law officers.[66] In January 2017, Indian Coast Guard became the first force to deploy four female officers, assistant commandants Anuradha Shukla, Sneha Kathayat, Shirin Chandran and Vasundhara Chouksey, in combat roles on board KV Kuber hovercraft ship patrolling the Indian maritime zone bordering Pakistan and Bangladesh.[67]
Assam Rifles
In April 2016, Assam Rifles inducted a first batch of 100 female soldiers who had undergone year-long training programme and graduated in the passing-out parade at the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School in Shokhüvi in Chümoukedima District of Nagaland. They will be deployed at Cordon And Search Operation (CASO), Mobile Check Posts (MCP) and road opening operations in various battalions for search, frisking and interrogation of women, crowd control and dispersal of female agitators.[68][69]
In August 2020, around 30 rifle-women from Assam Rifles were deployed along the LoC for the first time. They are led by Captain Gursimran Kaur of the Army Service Corps.[70][71]
Special Frontier Force
Special Frontier Force, created in 1962 as a most covert and elite Special Force unit as the armed wing of RAW to conduct covert operations behind the Chinese Lines in the event of another Sino-Indian War,[72] inducted 500 female in 1972 for the first time in medical, signals and clerical roles.[73]
Central Armed Police Forces
Women of the Border Security Force at the Indian Pakistan border
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) allowed women officers in supervisory combat roles in 2016.[74] About 1.75% (1,500) of 80,000 ITBP personnel are women, mostly in the rank of constables (c. March 2016).[74]
National Security Guard (NSG) (Black Cat Commandos) inducted female commandos for the first in 2011–12, however the first discrimination they faced was from the then female Chief Minister, Mayawati who refused to be guarded by the female commandos.[75] In 2015, govt announced that the female NSG Black Cat Commandos, who undergo the same training as their male counterpart, will be deployed in counter-terrorism operations as they also perform VIP protection duties.[76]
Railway Protection Force (RPF) has female unit, Shakti Squad. In 2015, 25-year-old Debashmita Chattopadhyay became first female Assistant Security Commissioner (ASC) in RPF who took charge of the Shakti squad of RPF women constables.[79]
National Disaster Response Force
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) got its first woman commander in 2015 when 40-years old senior Commandant Rekha Nambiar joined the 4th Battalion based in Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu to lead 1,000 personnel-strong all-men battalion.[80]
Border Roads Organisation
In June 2021, Vaishali Hiwase became the first women commanding officer to command a BRO Road Construction Company part of the India-China Border Roads.[81]
^"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife has become the first Special Protection Group (SPG) protectee to have women commandos in her immediate security cordon.", Indian Express, 9 Nov 2013.
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