Army’s woman medical officer participates in high-altitude patrol in Arunachal

KOLKATA: Capt Kalpana Kundu, a young medical officer of the Army undertook an arduous high altitude patrol in the mighty Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday. In this rare feat, she volunteered and accompanied an important patrol in an inhospitable terrain to provide medical cover to her brethren deployed along the Line of Actual Control. This was in the true tradition of the Indian Army where officers lead from the front.
Though women can join the Army as officers, they are not deployed in forward operational areas. The Indian Air Force, though, has inducted three women as fighter pilots and they are now undergoing advanced training. The India Navy also doesn’t post women on ships or submarines.
The Assam Rifles that is under the operational command of the Army, has already started inducting women in the ranks. These women are likely to be deployed along the Indo-Myanmar border. The Army is also contemplating the appointment of women in the ranks.
“Capt Kundu can set a trend. While women officers do participate in outdoor activities like mountaineering, white water rafting and para gliding with their male counterparts, they are not posted to advanced areas. I know of many women officers who are itching to get posted to such areas, even for a short period of time. With women breaking the glass ceiling in all spheres of life, they can certainly be posted at forward areas and go on patrols with men. They do so in other countries after all and women in India are not lagging behind in any field,” a senior Army officer said.
^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

References

1. ^{^} Capt Kalpana Kundu (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
2. ^{^} Arunachal Pradesh (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
3. ^{^} Indian Army (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
4. ^{^} Indian Air Force (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
5. ^{^} Assam Rifles (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

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