Sanjha Morcha

Border forces against women in harsh areas

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 22

While the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has advised the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to increase the percentage of women personnel in their rank and file, some of the border guarding forces have expressed reservations over deploying women in high-altitude posts and other hard areas.At present, women personnel form just a little above 2 per cent of the CAPFs strength. The MHA had earlier asked the CAPFs to increase the percentage of women to 5 per cent. Later, considering the increased demand for women personnel in tackling law and order situations, the MHA issued directions to reserve 33 per cent posts at the constable level in the Central Reserve Police Force and the Central Industrial Security Force and 14-15 per cent in border guarding forces like the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF) and Shashtra Seema Bal (SSB).Pointing out that roughly 64 per cent of border outposts (BOPs) are still not connected by road, the ITBP has maintained that fixing a percentage for border guarding forces for recruitment of women in general duty (GD) cadre would pose a number of problems regarding their deployment, accommodation and other facilities in far-flung, cut-off, isolated border areas.“ITBP apprehends that even if provisions are made to recruit women, it may be very difficult for them to find willing women for the GD cadre and bring the percentage of women to five per cent,” a report tabled in April states. ITBP is responsible for guarding the mountainous border with China, where it has posts at altitude up to 21,000 feet.The BSF, which has 62 battalions deployed in extremely harsh areas, including the Line of Control and anti-Naxal operations, has stated that it is not desirable to induct women for these battalions, though services of women in 111 battalions deployed in normal areas can prove useful.Their strength

  • 25,799 is the total strength of women personnel in Central Armed Police Forces
  • 8,303 is the highest number of women personnel in CISF
  • 7,607 women personnel are in CRPF, followed by 5,138 in the BSF
  • 2,040 are in SSB and 1,956 in ITBP. Many of them are deployed in border guarding roles