Victimization of women officers in Indian Army

Victimization of women officers in Indian Army
By: Afshain Afzal

Indian Army started recruiting women officers in 1993. Today there are around 1,000 female officers in Indian Army, all in non-combat roles. Since their induction a number of women officers were punished for various offences. In majority of cases sexual harassment by the senior male officers was resented but it resulted in victimization of various natures. Usually a legal process was involved to authenticate the victimization. Hence as an undeclared remedial measure, punishment is awarded to vocal women officers who dare challenge senior officers. There are a number of examples where even Court Martial proceedings have been initiated against women officers who resented sexual harassment from senior Indian Army officers. The cases of Army Service Corps (ASC) officer Captain Poonam Kaur and officer of Judge Advocate General branch Major Dimple Singla is in front of us where instead of taking action against Indian senior officers, a retaliatory action was taken and both were dismissed from service. Major Dimple Singla, was tried on corruption charges in 2006 at Chandigarh and dismissed but she was bold enough to challenge her unlawful dismissal. There are also cases, including the one in Indian held Jammu and Kashmir, where women officer due to sexual harassment committed suicide. There is a long list of women in Indian Army who quietly bear all sort of sexual harassment by their seniors due to fear of further victimization and dismissal.

As regard to Captain Poonam Kaur, she lodged complaint on July 15, 2008 against three officers of her unit, 5682 Battalion of the Army Supply Corps based in Kalka, Haryana for mentally and sexually harassing her and confining her illegally when she resisted their advances. The officers included Colonel R K Sharma, Commanding Officer, the Lieutenant Colonel Chawla, Second-in-Command and Major Suraj Bhan, Adjutant of the unit. A Court of Inquiry (COI) was ordered to investigate the allegations leveled by Captain Kaur against her superior officers. The President COI was pressurized by Crops Commander, a serving Lieutenant General and other senior officers to save the involved officers. Resultantly President COI recommended a Court Martial against Captain Kaur for false charges. The Army court's decision will now be put up to the Western Army Commander Lieutenant GeneralT K Sapru for confirmation. Captain Kaur has been blamed for addressing the media pertaining to service matters but what other choice she had before her. Nobody was ready to listen to her grievances rather she was harassed and literally placed under house arrest in her quarters in Kalka. Later, an officer of Major General-rank visited her quarters to pressurize her to take back her allegations against three senior officers but she refused to meet him. It is true that India Army has issued orders for her dismissal of Captain Kaur while Western Army Commander, Lieutenant General T K Sapru is also going to confirm the punishment but is it a justice in India Army.

India should not forget that a good number of its officers really need vigilance to keep them within their shoes. Indian Army’s behaviour not only at home but also internationally is full of spots. In 2007 a Lieutenant Colonel and two Majors of the Indian Army, seconded to the North Kivu brigade in MONUC were detained by South African Police after a woman resident of Plettenberg Bay in Pretoria charged them with rape. There are also other reports of rape committed by the Indian soldiers in Sudan, Ethiopia and Lebanon, where they are the part of peacekeeping mission. Indian Army at New Delhi also initiated a court of inquiry against some of its personnel in July 2008 in the same context but failed to take any strict disciplinary action against them. The report prepared by the United Nations office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) said that Indian peace keepers in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in order to recover $480 they paid as part of a gold deal in DRC, illegally detained, physically assaulted and “sexually propositioned” a local gold trader who had sold them counterfeit gold dust.

It is now over 16 years that females are being recruited in Indian Army. They were expected to work shoulder to shoulder with Indian male officers in the security and defence of India. From the day one, Indian Ministry of Defence had to face a numerous problems as regard to the term and condition of service of female Army personnel and matters relating to disciple. However, the main problem is non-recognization of women in Indian Army. They are being treated as lesser creation. The uncalled for statements of Indian Army officers like Lieutenant General S Pattabhiraman that the view from the Indian Army ranks and files was that they could do without women proves that Indian Army is gender bias. There is no doubt, women in Indian Army are not safe from victimization and sexual harassment. Embarrassing situation was faced when on the very first year after passing out from Indian Military Academy (IMA) Deradun, sexual harassment was faced by certain women officers. The matter, however, was tactfully handled by the Crops Commander by posting out of aggrieved officers to her station of choice. Captain Kaur has been blamed for bringing service matter to media but had the allegations of sexual harassment not come out in the media, then people would have never known what is actually happening in Indian Army and that the women are not safe in Indian Army. It is media due to which Major Dimple Singla's court martial was later stayed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2007. Women officers in Indian Army are hopeful that if there is a slightest strength in Indian judicial system Captain Kaur is also going to be reinstated.