Indian Patrols Along Chinese Border Get Female Touch

For the first time, India has deployed female combatants at forward posts. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force has deployed its first batch of 100 female constables with weapons training at 15 forward posts along the Sino-Indian border in Ladakh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – They have been specially trained for mountain survival given the harsh climatic condition and arduous terrain of the forward posts that are situated at heights between 8,000 to 14,000 feet above sea level.

In a first, women #ITBP personnel deployed along China border in five states. #SinoIndia. (File Pic) pic.twitter.com/VgMfiCVKIm

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) 24 октября 2016 г.

The ITBP commissioned 500 women combatants earlier this year for deployment at the Sino-Indian border. An ITBP official told Sputnik that the remaining female personnel would be deployed at other forward posts once the posts are made gender neutral.

Women constables were first inducted in the ITBP in 2008, but were used to maintain law and order in certain restive areas and for frisking women at border passes. This is the first time they have been deployed for combat operations.

With 80,000 personnel overall, ITBP plans to have women personnel make up at least 40 percent of its strength in the future.