New Delhi:

Women officers in the Army are performing exceedingly well and the force is looking at increasing their induction, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi said Monday while playing down concerns of a senior commander who flagged “problems” facing the units commanded by women officers.

In an unprecedented move, Lt General Rajeev Puri, a Corps Commander, had written a five-page letter to Eastern Army Commander Lt General Ram Chander Tiwari listing a series of issues impacting Army units commanded by women officers in the eastern sector.

The women officers are performing remarkably well, Gen Dwivedi said while replying to a question at a press conference ahead of the Army Day.

“The letter which got leaked out, shouldn’t have gotten leaked out. A court of inquiry has been ordered about it. It is a perception, it is his perception. He has all the right to give out that perception and comment,” the Army chief said.

“It is an internal communication,” he said.

The Chief of the Army Staff said the Army appointed the women commanding officers following an order by the Supreme Court.

“Today, I just wish to assure you, women officers were doing exceedingly well,” he said.

“Today, there are approximately 16 women officers who are doing Staff College. There are women officers who are pilots in the aviation branch also,” he said.

The Army wants a strong woman officer, who is “Kaali mata ka roop”, the Army chief said.

At the same time he emphasised on the need to follow a gender neutral approach.

The Army started assigning women officers to command roles following a Supreme Court order in 2023.

Several women officers are now helming units in various forward locations, including in areas under the Northern and Eastern Commands.

The Army chief suggested that the force is looking at a 12 times increase in women’s induction in officer rank by 2032.

In his letter, Lt Gen Puri wrote: “During the last one year, there has been an increase in the number of officer management issues in units commanded by women officers.” He wrote that most cases pertain to lack of tact and understanding of the personal requirements of unit personnel, especially officers.

Lt Gen Puri also listed “misplaced sense of entitlement”, “lack of empathy” and a “tendency to complain” among the issues impacting the units.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

About 60 per cent of terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir last year were of Pakistani origin, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi said today as he briefed media on the situation at the Line of Control (LoC). He also said about 80 per cent of terrorists who remain in J&K are Pakistanis.

“The situation (in Jammu and Kashmir) is firmly under control. On the Line of Control, the ceasefire which has been effective since February 2021 is holding on. However, terror infrastructure across remains intact,” Gen Dwivedi, who has vast operational experience along the frontiers with Pakistan and China, told reporters.

Gen Dwivedi said the infiltration attempts are also continuing, including from the International Border (IB) sector, along with drone attempts to smuggle warlike stores and narcotics.

He also said terrorist activities have increased in North Kashmir and the Doda-Kishtwar belt in recent months, but assured the overall violence parameters are “under control”.

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“We witnessed more than five lakh pilgrims during Amarnath Yatra this time and the peaceful conduct of elections (Lok Sabha and Assembly) are indicators of a positive change. The theme of terrorism to tourism is gradually taking shape,” Gen Dwivedi, who assumed charge as the 30th Chief of the Army Staff in June last year, said.

Army Chief On LAC Situation

The overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is “stable” but “sensitive”, Gen Dwivedi said, weeks after Indian and Chinese militaries disengaged from the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh.

“Patrolling and grazing in traditional areas has started in Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh,” he said.

He also said the Army is focusing on boosting border infrastructure and capability development.

“Our deployment is balanced and robust; we are capable of handling any situation,” he said.

India and China are restoring bilateral ties frozen for over four years due to the military standoff in Ladakh’s Galwan.