The Indian Army has finalised a plan to induct women into the army military police. The move comes just two months after Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had said in an interview that the Army was looking at inducting women jawans and the process would start with the induction of women into military police corps.

The move is being viewed as a major step forward in bringing down gender barriers within the armed forces, as currently, women are only allowed in select areas of the army including: medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the Army.

As per the new plan, the army will induct approximately 800 women in military police with an intake of 52 personnel per year, Adjutant General of the Army Lieutenant General Ashwani Kumar told reporters.

Welcoming the decision to induct women in the army’s police force, Lieutenant General Kumar said the plan to induct women in Corps of Military Police would help in investigating allegations of gender specific crimes.

The military police has the power to police cantonments and army establishments, preventing breach of rules and regulations by soldiers, maintaining movement of soldiers as well as logistics during peace and war, handling prisoners of war and extending aid to civil police whenever required.