Women troops will deal with female protesters: Army chief
GENERAL SPEAK Rawat says social media campaign in Kashmir is misleading youth
DEHRADUN: Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat suggested on Saturday that the force could deploy its first women combatants for operations in regions like Kashmir where soldiers have increasingly faced pushback from female protesters recently.
The General had last week said the army will open combat roles to women, and the process will begin with them initially recruited in the military police.
“Sometimes we have to face women in the front during counter insurgencies. They could be tackled easily if we have enough strength of women officers and sizable other rank and file cadre,” General Rawat said on Saturday after he attended the Passing Out Parade of the latest batch of soldiers at the Indian Military Academy (IMA).
Women are currently only recruited into selective areas of the army such as medical, legal, educational and engineering wings.
Rawat reiterated that the process to include women will begin with military police. “This will be first form of women entry for combative works in the army.”
His statement came in response to a question from reporters on how the army planned to tackle rising incidents of stone pelting by women and girls in Kashmir.
Kashmir has been on the boil since last July when Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani was killed by security forces. In the months since, more than a 100 civilians have died in violent clashes with the army and state police, often during counter-insurgency operations.
The General said a massive social media campaign in Jammu and Kashmir was misleading youth and spreading hate against Indian security forces. “A disinformation campaign against India and Indian security forces is being run in valley among every section of the society in general and youth in particular via social media but it will not be allowed to succeed,” he said.
‘INCURSIONS ACROSS INDIA-CHINA BORDER MATTER OF PERCEPTION BY THE TWO SIDES’
Army chief Bipin Rawat claimed that allegations of incursion by Chinese helicopters or army men into Indian side of border are matters of perceptions by the two sides rather than incursion attempts.
Speaking to the media, General Rawat stated that perceptions in India and China about the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are different which leads to allegations of territorial or air space transgression.
“Counter intrusions take place from both the sides of LAC. We also fly our helicopters on the space that may be considered intrusion by the other side,” Rawat said emphasising on the need to improve relations with China. He was referring to the recent incident of a suspected Chinese helicopter violating Indian airspace by hovering over Uttarakhand’s Chamoli area close to Sino-India border.
He denied that these crossovers were attempts by Beijing to intrude into Indian territory.
Rawat further pointed out that the two sides hammer out these issues mutually.
Sometimes we have to face women in the front during counter insurgencies. They could be tackled easily if we have enough strength of women officers and sizable other rank and file cadre GENERAL RAWAT , army chief