Women in the Indian Armed Forces: Difference between revisions

[[File:Field Marshall Auchinleck inspects Women's Auxiliary Corps (India) 1946-1947.jpg|thumb|300px|Field Marshal [[Sir Claude Auchinleck]] inspects [[Women's Auxiliary Corps (India)]], c. 1947]]  

[[File:Private_Begum_Pasha_Shah_of_the_WAC_(1)_on_duty_in_the_Orderly_Room_of_an_RAF_station_in_India,_August_1943.jpg|thumb|upright|Women's Auxiliary Corps (India) on duty in Orderly Room of [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] station in India, August 1943|alt=]]

{{ see also | Army ranks and insignia of India }}

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.<ref name=WIndA1>{{cite web | url= https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/women-officers-in-8-more-streams-mod-issues-order-117189 | title= Women officers in 8 more streams, MoD issues order | website= The Tribune India| date= 2020-07-24 }}</ref><ref name=WIndA2>{{cite web | url= https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/feb/18/army-looks-at-change-to-accommodate-women-2104963.html | title= Army looks at change to accommodate women | website= Indian Express | date= 2020-02-16 }}</ref>

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| 1888 or earlier<ref name=women1/>

As of 2020, women are not allowed to serve in combat units such as [[List of regiments of the Indian Army#Infantry Regiments|Infantry]], [[Mechanised Infantry Regiment|Mechanised infantry]], [[Indian Army Armoured Corps|Armoured corps]], and [[List of regiments of the Indian Army#Regiment of Artillery|Artillery]].<ref name=WIndA1/>

[[Priya Jhingan]], commissioned in 1993, is one of the first 25 women to join the Indian Army as an officer. Alka Khurana, also commissioned in 1993, is the first woman from Indian Army to participate in Republic Day Parade and Army Day Parade in 1994.<ref name=IN>{{cite web | url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/army-s-first-woman-officer-comes-to-its-defence/6959/1 | title=Priya Jhingan army's first woman officer | publisher=archive.indianexpress.com | access-date=2017-07-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/first-indian-women/1/448279.html|title=List of 'First' Indian women in Indian history|website=India Today|access-date=2017-07-17}}</ref><ref name=book>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C6wsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24 | title=Role of Women in India | publisher=REDSHINE | author=Dr. Saroj Kumar Singh | year=2017 | isbn=978-93-86483-09-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://zeenews.india.com/IndiaFirst/Women-p2.html# | title=First Women | publisher=zeenews.india.com | access-date=2017-07-20}}</ref><ref name="Kt">{{cite web | url=http://www.timeskuwait.com/Times_Indian-women-Making-India-proud | title=Indian women Making India proud | publisher=timeskuwait.com | access-date=2017-07-17}}</ref> [[Sapper]] [[Shanti Tigga]] was the first female [[Sepoy|jawan]] (private rank) in the Indian Army who joined in 2011.<ref name=hero1/> 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.<ref name=hero1/>

[[Army ranks and insignia of India|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Mitali Madhumita]], commissioned in 2000, is the first woman officer in India to receive a [[Awards and Decorations of the Indian Armed Forces|gallantry award]], who received the [[Sena Medal]] in 2011 for exemplary courage shown during the [[February 2010 Kabul attack|attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul]] by terrorists in [[Kabul]], [[Afghanistan]] on 26 February 2010,<ref name=HT>{{cite web | url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/only-army-woman-to-win-gallantry-award-fights-to-stay-in-the-force/story-0DQwEjE0Ga7vs5yBE8yinI.html | title=Only army woman to win gallantry award fights to stay in the force | publisher=hindustantimes.com | access-date=2017-07-13}}</ref> and operations in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu-Kashmir]]<ref name="TH">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/In-a-first-Sena-Medal-for-female-Army-officer/article15459119.ece|title=Sena Medal for female Army officer|publisher=thehindu.com|access-date=2017-07-13}}</ref> and the [[Northeast India|northeast states]].<ref name=HT /><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/lt-col-mithali-to-remain-in-service/146647.html | title=Lt Col Mithali to remain in service | publisher=tribuneindia.com | access-date=2017-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ist-woman-officer-to-get-Sena-medal/articleshow/7578457.cms | title=First woman officer to get Sena medal | publisher=timesofindia.indiatimes.com | access-date=2017-07-13}}</ref>

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 [[Indian Army Corps of Signals|Signals in-charge]].<ref name=hero1/> In February 2020 [[Madhuri Kanitkar]] became the third woman to become a [[Army ranks and insignia of India|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/maj-gen-madhuri-kanitkar-third-in-the-country-to-assume-lt-gen-rank-6292380/|title=Maj Gen Madhuri Kanitkar third woman in the country to assume Lt Gen rank|last=Mascarenhas|first=Anuradha|date=2020-02-29|website=The Indian Express|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|date=2020-10-21|title=IAF's first woman officer dies at 96|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/iafs-first-woman-commissioned-officer-dies-at-96-6821413/|access-date=2020-10-21|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref>

In 2006, Deepika Misra, a Brahman was the first IAF woman pilot to train for the [[Sarang display team]].<ref name=hero1/> In 2012, Nivedita Singh (Flight Lieutenant) from Rajasthan, became the first woman from the Indian Air Force to summit the [[Mount Everest]].<ref name="hero1">Sanchari Pal (24 Jan 2017) [https://www.thebetterindia.com/83280/brave-women-soldiers-indian-armed-forces/ ''Brave Indian female soldiers'']. [[The Better India]].</ref>

[[File:The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind with the all-women crew of INSV Tarini on completion of their voyage of circumnavigation of the globe, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi.JPG|thumb|All-women crew of [[INSV Tarini]] on completion of their voyage of [[Navika Sagar Parikrama|circumnavigation of the globe]]]]

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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Navika Sagar Parikrama - 'Nari Shakti Puraskar|url=https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/navika-sagar-parikrama-%E2%80%98nari-shakti-puraskar%E2%80%99}}</ref>

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.

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| 4 || [[Vice admiral (India)|Surgeon Vice Admiral]] [[Sheila S. Mathai]] {{small|{{post-nominals|country=IND|sep=,|NM|VSM}}}}||{{navy|India}}|| 26 August 2021|| Currently serves as Director General (Organization and Personnel) of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS).<ref>{{cite web |title=Log into Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/IndianNavy/posts/surgeon-rear-admiral-sheila-samanta-mathai-nm-vsm-was-promoted-to-the-rank-of-su/1606659039688950/ |website=Facebook |language=en}}</ref>

* ''[[Aarohan]]'' (1996–97), tele serial showcasing women officers serving in the [[Indian Navy]].

* ''[[The Test Case (web series)|The Test Case]]'' (2017), web series on the fictional story of the first woman training to serve in a combat role within the [[Indian Armed Forces]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/the-test-case-trailer-nimrat-kaur-looks-tough-as-nails-in-her-upcoming-web-series-watch-video-4604112/|title=The Test Case trailer: Nimrat Kaur looks tough as nails in her upcoming web series. Watch video|date=2017-04-07|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2018-02-14|language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==