Induction of women in India’s armed forces for combat is good news
The Chief of Army Staff has announced early induction of women in combat role. So far, they have been inducted only in support corps like medical, education, ordnance and signals. The Indian Air Force, which inducted women in ground duty role and as helicopter pilots over a decade ago, has recently inducted three women fighter pilots.
It is, however, the central armed forces like the CRPF which took lead by inducting women in combat role almost 25 years ago. The service conditions of these women personnel mostly deployed or posted in cities are better.
The BSF recently inducted Sonali Mishra, an IPS officer, as the frontier commander of Kashmir, the first woman officer to do so in the history of BSF. Two other women IPS officers earlier inducted never went to field.
Induction of women IPS officers at higher supervisory roles does not pose any challenge either for the organisation or for the individual because they would mostly remain confined to headquarters. The only challenge for them is to overcome the resentment of male subordinates, especially because the deputationist does not have even the elementary knowledge of border guarding/management.
The BSF being under operational control of the Army, the command of Kashmir frontier does not pose any operational difficulties. The toughest that will be expected of Mishra will involve a few visits to the forward defended localities in helicopter and in all likelihood, she would be posted to Delhi after a symbolic stay of a few months in Srinagar.
Challenges however lie ahead for young Tanushree Pareek who recently passed out of the BSF academy as the first woman field (combat) officer of the BSF. The event that largely went unnoticed in the media is a landmark in the 51-year history of the BSF.
Her commitment to the force is reflected in the fact that she consciously chose to give a go-by to the civil services interview in preference to service in the BSF. This heartening gesture should serve as an example to those male candidates who are declining to join the BSF as officers due to harsh service conditions and bleak career prospects.
Tanushree must be conscious of the fact that the life for a field officer in BSF is tough and she will have to spend at least the first 15 years of service in forward locations, where facilities for even men are limited and may be almost non-existent for women. For most part, she will have to lead a lonely life as families cannot stay at border outposts (BOPs).
Being the only woman officer so far, her work will require extensive travelling to supervise the functioning of women constabulary who are deployed all over the country’s border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. She will have to display maturity much beyond her age and function as a friend, philosopher and guide to the constabulary. She will also have to work harder in this male dominated organisation to prove her credentials as a leader.
That the young lady shows promise of living up to these challenges lies in the fact that she was selected over 66 of her male colleagues to command the passing out parade after having excelled in the training.
BSF, the first line of defence, had been feeling the necessity of inducting women, after the erection of a fence along borders as the women folk going across the fence for work could not be frisked by male constables. Ad-hoc arrangement of requisitioning services of ladies from nearby villages was not proving to be effective.
Women were thus finally inducted in the BSF in combat role in 2008, when 637 women constables were recruited. The number of women constables here over the years has risen to about 4,500. It is set to rise to 15 per cent of the total strength of the force. Initially deployed in Punjab, they are now spread over Rajasthan and Bengal borders also.
The male psyche of the organisation received a tectonic jolt upon their induction. The first to be jolted out of their comfort zone were the instructors at the training centre in Punjab. They had to unlearn many things that they were used to while training male constables.
The shortage of accommodation, toilets and other facilities which is endemic in the force had to be made up because women couldn’t have been accommodated or expected to go for their daily chores in makeshift tents. Prefabricated huts were thus created overnight. The women did exceedingly well in training and were found to be much more meticulous and hard-working.
Their deployment for duties at BOPs also posed some logistical problems. They had to be deployed in groups and infrastructure had to be created on the BOPs catering to the special needs of privacy and comfort. Initially they could not be deployed at the border for the night so arrangements were made for them to commute from unit headquarters. Even now, they are mostly retained as guards for BOPs at night and not sent out on the border.
Their induction has also brought a realisation in the organisation about gender-related matters and there is increased emphasis on sensitising their male counterparts about issues. Overall, the induction of women constabulary in BSF has enhanced operational efficiency of the organisation. It has also had a sobering effect on the male constabulary.
The leaders however have to plan for the future. After about 10 years in the force, many of the women constables would be in the process of raising a family, which means prolonged absence from duty on maternity leave, etc. This also implies that these girls will have to be stationed at headquarters where reasonable facilities exist for child and medical care.
This in turn will deplete the bayonet strength at BOPs, thus leading to the problem of proper border management. Thus, some of the male constables at headquarters will have to be replaced and sent to BOPs to make up the strength and employ them gainfully at headquarters.
The BSF being the first line of defence, also has a war-time role. How these women combatants will be employed during a war-like situation is another aspect that the commanders have to consider and plan for. Presently, they are not sent for deployment on remote forward defended localities (FDLs) and in anti-insurgency/militant role.
I wish to end with a word of caution and state that the leaders must desist from the tendency to use women constables as trophies. For example, the BSF has started using them for the retreat drill at the Attari/Wagah border. These women are also diverted for several ceremonial functions like a platoon being used for the annual raising day parade or several of them being withdrawn from the border for participation in cultural events related to BSF wives’ welfare organization, etc.
Continued use in such activities has given rise to a group of malingerers among them who now do not want to go back to face the hardship of duties while guarding the border.