In a major step towards breaking gender barriers in the Indian forces, the Indian Army has finalised on a plan to induct women in the military police, a senior officer said on Friday.
This comes only a day after India’s first full time defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman assumed office.
The plan is to induct approximately 800 women in military police, with a yearly intake of 52 personnel per year, Adjuntant General of the Army Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar told reporters.
In an interview in June, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat had said the Army was looking at inducting women jawans and the process would start with the induction of women into military police corps.
Lt Gen Kumar said the decision to induct women in Corps of Military Police would help in investigating allegations of gender specific crimes.
Currently, women are allowed in select areas such as medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the Army.
The role of the military police includes policing cantonments and army establishments, preventing breach of rules and regulations by soldiers, maintaining movement of soldiers as well as logistics during peace and war, handling prisoners of war and extending aid to civil police whenever required.
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