Emphasising the fact that equal opportunity brings equal responsibility, General Bipin Rawat left the decision up to women to decide if they are willing to join men in a frontline combat role without separate and additional facilities.
This comment came when the government decided to recruit women for all combat roles at the border front. While women are inducted into the Corps of Engineers and Signals, they have been left out of the Infantry, Armoured Corps and Mechanised Infantry.
Gen Rawat, during his first media conference, said that when out on tanks, the men sleep under the tank during the night with no separate facility. Gen Rawat also reminded that there are no toilet facilities when they go out on patrol.
“The three men crew have a stove. They cook and sleep under that tank. That is how they do,” he said. “So, if all three in the tank, if it is one woman or two women and a male if they are all willing to sleep under the tank and if the women folk are willing to accept it….,” he added citing another example. He said patrol can be for 20-25 days and the longest one to the border was in Arunachal Pradesh for 35 days.
“If women are willing to move out in that environment, the women folk themselves need to take a call. Once the women are willing to take this kind of call, we will address this issue,” he said.
The Air Force has already inducted women into the combat role but is unlikely to post them at forward bases. The navy has allowed women to fly all aircraft not operating from an aircraft carrier since they don’t have separate facilities on board as of now. However, future ships are being designed keeping in mind that women may join them on board.
PTI
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