In a first, woman army doctor deployed in Siachen
Captain Geetika Koul’s deployment comes almost a year after the army posted Captain Shiva Chouhan from the Corps of Engineers at Siachen
NEW DELHI: A woman army doctor, Captain Geetika Koul, has been deployed at the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen, for the first time, the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps said on Tuesday.
“Captain Geetika Koul from the Snow Leopard Brigade becomes the first Woman Medical officer of the #IndianArmy to be deployed at the world’s highest battlefield, #Siachen after successfully completing the induction training at Siachen Battle School,” it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The development comes almost a year after the army for the first time deployed a woman officer, Captain Shiva Chouhan, at the world’s highest and coldest battleground in January 2023. Chouhan is from the Corps of Engineers.
Soldiers have a three-month stint in the frozen landscape where the temperature can dip to minus 60 degrees.
Women in uniform are no longer on the fringes but are being assigned central roles on par with their male counterparts. They are flying fighter planes, serving onboard warships, performing command roles, being inducted in the personnel below officer rank (PBOR) cadre, eligible for permanent commission, and undergoing training at the premier National Defence Academy.
In his Navy Day address on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the government’s resolve to strengthen Nari Shakti in the armed forces while congratulating the navy on the landmark appointment of a woman, Lieutenant Commander Prerna Deosthalee, as the commanding officer of fast-attack craft INS Trinkat.