Woman Army officer commits suicide in J&K

TRAGIC END: The officer committed suicide in the Kunjawani army camp in the outskirts of the Jammu.

GENDER BIAS?

At the moment, there are 918 women in the Indian Army as compared to 33,000 men. There are 430 women in the Indian Air Force as opposed to 9,770 men and there are 100 women in the Navy as against 6,900 men. Women officers were first commissioned into the armed forces as executive officers in 1993. Before this, women could serve only as Army doctors and nurses. They are recruited only on a short service commission, which extends to a maximum period of 14 years and only non-combat arms are open for women cadets. These include Army Services Corps, Education Corps, Signals, Intelligence Corps, etc. There are only about 50 women IAF officers who are trained pilots and who fly transport aircraft and helicopters. Women on the other hand are not allowed to serve on naval ships. In a 14-year career span, the highest rank a woman officer can aspire for is that of a Lieutenant Colonel whereas those in the Army Medical Corps have gone up to the rank of Lieutenant General.

Ads by Google

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Related Stories

• Army officer held for 'taking' obscene pictures

• Army Capt held for abetting wife's suicide

• Army jawan kills superior in J&K

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

  

New Delhi: A woman Army officer committed suicide at her official residence in Kunjawani army camp in the outskirts of the Jammu on Sunday night.

Captain Megha Razdan of 113 Engineering Regiment (Electrical and Mechanical Engineer) committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan by a bed sheet

Top defense sources were quoted by news agency PTI as saying that authorities broke the door and found the officer hanging when her attendants failed to get response from the officer by knocking her door.

She was shifted to the hospital where doctors declared her brought dead.

Sources added that the captain had some problems with her immediate officers in the unit and a court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

She was married just four months ago to Captain Chaitanya of Maharashtra who was dealing with chemical and biological warfare of EME.

Officials have found a suicide note. And a court of enquiry has also been ordered into the incident.

In June last year, Lieutenant Sushmita Chakraborty, serving with an Army Service Corps (ASC) battalion in the Northern Command, had allegedly committed suicide by shooting herself with a rifle in J&K's Udhampur district.

While Chakraborty parent’s had claimed Sushmita was "depressed" about her job, Army officials had said the officer had not put in any request to leave the service.

There have been numerous instances of officers and jawans committing suicide in insurgency-affected areas. But Chakraborty’s was the first case of a lady officer taking her life.