First woman officer posted at Siachen Capt Shiva Chouhan completes 100 days

Captain Shiva Chouhan, a Bengal Sapper officer, was deployed at the Kumar post, located at an altitude of around 15,600 feet in Siachen in January 2023.

The first woman officer deployed at the post, Captain Shiva Chouhan, on Wednesday successfully completed 100 days stay at the world’s highest battlefield — Siachen, known for its inclement weather and the heavy toll it takes on the human body.

Sharing the news, Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army wrote on its Twitter handle, “Capt Shiva Chouhan of Fire and Fury Sappers, first Woman Officer to be op deployed at #SiachenGlacier has successfully completed 100 days at the world’s highest battlefield in unforgiving weather conditions and freezing winter temps.”

Notably, temperature often drops to as low as -60° Celsius during the winters in Siachen, with avalanches and landslides also being commonplace.

Chouhan who hails from Rajasthan, is a Bengal Sapper officer. She was deployed at the Kumar post, located at an altitude of around 15,600 feet in Siachen in January 2023 for a three-month stint.

Before her deployment, Chouhan was put through a rigorous one-month training including endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue and survival drills, at the Siachen Battle School alongside other officers of the Indian Army.

Chouhan’s commitment helped her successfully complete training and she was posted at Siachen glacier, the Army had said in a statement after she joined the army troops.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also on January 3 lauded her deployment, saying the same highlights the spirit of India’s “nari shakti”. “This will make every Indian proud, illustrating the spirit of India’s nari shakti,” he had tweeted.

The woman officer did her schooling from Udaipur and graduated from NJR Institute of Technology, Udaipur, in civil engineering.

“Since her childhood, Chouhan was motivated to join the Indian Armed Forces and showcased unparalleled zeal during training at Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai and was commissioned into the Engineer Regiment in May 2021,” the Indian Army had said.

ByHT Correspondent, Jammu

Apr 13, 2023 12:01 PM IST