Indian Army Needs To Review The Policies For Women’s Officer In Command Role : Lt General Rajiv Puri

One of the top general of Indian Army has wrote a letter to his superiors and concerning authorities about revision of policies for women officers in command role. General reviewed 20 women commanding officers then he made his final conclusion.

One of the top generals of the Indian Army, General Rajiv Puri, has written a letter of five pages to his superiors and concerning authorities about the review of command role of women officers. Indian Army is a symbol of discipline, bravery and sacrifice. But there is an urgent need for review and improvements about the policies regarding command role of women officers. Where there was always a male dominance in the army. The Supreme Court had given a landmark judgment in 2020 and granted permanent commission to women in the Indian Armed Forces. After this landmark judgment, they got the opportunity to serve as commanding officers with equal status and duties in comparison to male counterparts. Recently, post 17 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Rajiv Puri has raised a few issues in front of his superiors about the role of women’s commanding officers via his five-page letter. This letter is raising the issues about the functioning and challenges of women officers in the Indian Army.

Points raised in the letter

Lieutenant General Rajiv Puri reviewed the 20 Colonel-rank women officers and raised the following concerns:

1. Lack of interpersonal relationship: He found that women officers are lacking in understanding the personal and professional requirements of their subordinates, they have an exaggerated tendency to escalate complaints, and lack empathy towards their subordinates.
2. Understanding the leadership: Many officers leaned towards conflict resolution through authority rather than mutual respect.
3. Misuse of entitlements: An example has been cited in a letter that a CO was insisting that her Subedar Major will have to open her door. This is against the protocol. Such types of behaviour shows that the misuse of entitlements.
4. Tendency to escalate the issues: It has also been observed that women officers were also accused of an exaggerated tendency to complain about their subordinates to senior commanders.
5. Pressure to Prove Themselves: This letter shows that women officers have immense pressure to prove themselves in a male-dominated military environment. This behaviour can have severe results. Women COs may adopt an overstrict leadership style.

Ladies officers have many big challenges to sustain themselves. The government immediately needs to take a review and take major steps to overcome such issues.

1. Leadership training : Equal training for leadership for male or female counterparts are required.
2. Mentorship program : They need an experienced mentorship program to handle the situations.
3. Judgments based on performance, not on genders : There is always need to evaluate based on performance, not on genders. Policies needed to review based on gender neutrality. It should not be based on any gender.

It is a matter of great pride to evolve Indian women in commanding roles. Which makes the Indian Army stronger and more diverse. The challenges will always remain. We need to take constructive feedback with systematic support and put our best efforts into overcoming it. It will definitely help the women Cos to excel in their role in their command and contribute to the Army legacy. As the debate continues, one thing is very clear: today’s women are capable of facing any challenges. The success of women commanding officers will not only shape the future of the Indian Army but also inspire generations of women to dream big and break the barriers. This journey is a testament to the evolving dynamics of leadership and the promise of equality.