By : Syed Jahanzeeb
Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Fire and Fury Sappers Corps has become the first woman officer to be deployed at the highest inhabitable battlefield in the world, Siachen. The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world’s non-polar areas. This is indeed a welcoming step towards gender neutrality. In order to minimise the male-dominated presence in the armed forces the move is seen as an encouraging initiative which we need to appreciate wholeheartedly. The brave daughter of the country Captain Shiva Chauhan will be remembered for ever for becoming the first woman army officer to get operationally deployed on the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield. Captain Shiva has been deployed at the Kumar post which is located at an altitude of around 15,600 feet in Siachen. Media reported that the lady captain under went three months rigorous training in order to prepare for the deployment at this point. Captain Chouhan will be heading the team of Sappers mandated with the task of carrying out various combat engineering assignments. The lady officer underwent rigorous training at the Siachen Battle School where she received necessary training alongside the officers of the Indian Army . For posting at Saichan a prior course like endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue and survival drills are imparted. Whole nation congratulated and appreciated the lady captain. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed his message to Capt Chauhan in the these words. “Excellent news! I am extremely happy to see more women joining the Armed Forces and take every challenge in stride. It is an encouraging sign. My best wishes to Capt Shiva Chauhan. Life of Captain Shiva Chauhan? Captain Shiva Chauhan is citizen of Rajasthan and was part of the Bengal Sappers or the Bengal Engineer Group military unit. Unluckily Chauhan lost her father when she was too young age. Her mother brought her up andf provided her the support. She was a student of mechanical engineering at NJR Institute of Technology in Udaipur. She joined military training. Media quoted her saying that it was her childhood dream to join the armed forces. She joined the Officers Training Academy in Chennai where everyone was impressed by her motivation and skill at the training. In 2021 she was inducted in the Engineer regiment in May 2021 ans now she has become the first woman officer deployed at the highest inhabitable battlefield in the world called “Siachen”.