Army chief plays down top commander's letter flagging issues affecting units headed by women officers

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" affecting 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.