Thaindian News

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 28 (IANS) Women troopers are all set to guard the India-China border. The first batch of 209 women constables will be inducted into the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) here Friday.
The passing out parade will be held at the ITBP training camp in Bhanu near this Haryana town, around 25 km from state capital Chandigarh.

These recruits will be the first women to be deployed along the international border by the ITBP.

“Last year, the union home ministry had sanctioned the first women’s battalion for ITBP. So far, 209 women have successfully completed their 44-week training and they will participate in the passing out parade tomorrow (Friday). Home Minister P. Chidambaram will take the salute at the parade,” Ishwar Singh Duhan, ITBP commandant, told IANS Thursday.

He added: “The training of our women officials was at par with their men counterparts. They have undergone all the training modules like weapon training, drill, commando training and rock climbing.”

The women personnel will be deployed at the international border and also for the internal security duty.

“Besides internal security duty, they will be stationed at Nathu La Pass and during the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to assist women pilgrims and tourists,” stated Duhan.

Nathu La Pass is the crucial trade route between India and China and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is conducted every year, through Uttarakhand to Tibet, by the Indian government.

“There was a long-pending demand for women officials in ITBP, therefore, to fulfil this requirement another batch of 150 women is also undergoing training at present,” pointed out Duhan.

Last year in July, the Border Security Force (BSF) had also inducted its first batch of around 200 women troopers. In September, they were deployed along the 553-km fenced India-Pakistan border in Punjab and at the India-Bangladesh border.