Jammu, Jan 03 (KNO): In a significant development, Capitan Shiva Chauhan, a women army officer has become the first woman to be posted on operational duty at the highest battleground on the Siachen glacier, with the peaks ranging above 15000 feet.
Officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the posting of the first woman officers came after the government's policy to increase the number of women in combat role.
The development was shared by Leh based army’s Fire and Fury Corps (14 Corps). Capt Chauhan achieved the rare feat and became the first woman officer to be deployed at the highest battleground in Kumar Post on the Siachen glacier.
“Capt Shiva Chauhan of Fire and Fury Sappers became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed in Kumar Post, at the highest battlefield of the world,” tweeted the official account of Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army. The Twitter post has added the caption, 'Breaking the Glass Ceiling', celebrating Shiva's feat.
Earlier, Capt Shiva had to undergo a month long arduous training at Siachen Battle School along with other personnel before her posting in Kumar Post located at height of 15,632 feet on the Siachen glacier on January 2.
Capt Shiva Chouhan was put through rigorous training which included endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue and survival drills, at the Siachen Battle School
“The team of Sappers led by Capt Shiva Chouhan will be responsible for numerous combat engineering tasks and will be deployed at the post for a duration of three months,” an army spokesperson said.
The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground on earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since 1984—(KNO)