No woman in the Indian Armed Forces has yet been able to qualify for induction into its elite special forces, despite a few of them volunteering to join the units, the government told Parliament on Friday. “Women Officers in the Indian Armed Forces are eligible to volunteer for induction. into the special forces without any gender bias, provided they meet selection Qualitative Requirements (QRs), and successfully complete the training,” Minister of State in the Defence Ministry Ajay Bhatt told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Bhatt said that in the Indian Air Force, a total of two women officers have volunteered till date for special forces training and were detailed to undergo the same, but could not pass the training. “In the Indian Navy, 20 women Agniveers (sailors) had appeared for the aptitude test for induction into special forces. However, none of them qualified,” he added. The Para-Special Forces of the Army, the Marine Commandos of the Navy and the Garud Commandos of the IAF undergo months of gruelling probation and need to maintain extremely high standards of physical and mental fitness before they qualify to become a member of a special forces unit. Once qualified, they undergo specialised training for the specialised task a unit is mandated to perform. For example, the Army has special forces units—each specialising in deserts, jungles, mountains and counter-terrorism roles. The special forces of the three services train to carry out strikes behind enemy lines, covert inductions, anti-terror operations and highly specialised tactical military tasks including intelligence gathering and laser designation. Women serve in parachute units in the Army, but not in the special forces units. The three services have over the years opened several of its arms for women and recently as Agniveers. The Army, being the largest of the three services, has the largest number of women officers at 1,705.
