Tania Shergill, a fourth-generation Army officer, today shattered a glass ceiling by becoming the first woman officer to lead an all-men contingent at the Army Parade held on January 15 in New Delhi. Captain Tania Sher Gill from the Corp of Signals was the parade adjutant.

Sher Gill has done her Bachelor’s of Technology in electronics and communications and was commissioned in March 2017 from Officers Training Academy Chennai.

Her father was in 101 Medium Regiment (Artillery) while her grandfather was in the 14th Armed Regiment (Scinde Horse). Interestingly, her great grandfather was in the Sikh Regiment.

Bhavna Kasturi led an all-men contingent on Republic Day and became the first woman officer to do so.

The Indian Army is now opening up to recruit more women in services. The first batch of 100 women soldiers in the Army is likely to be commissioned by March 2021, said a report by Economic Times.

The women soldiers will be commissioned into the Corps of military police and Indian Army.

"The training period -- of 61 weeks -- is similar to that of male soldiers. Batches comprising similar number of soldiers will be trained and commissioned every year," a senior Army official told ET.



Officials said the cadre of women soldiers in the Corps of Military Police will be maintained at a fixed number of 1,700 corps. This number will be achieved by filling in the corps in batches.

For the next 17 years, Indian Army aims to induct 100 women soldiers each year to reach the mark of 17 women soldiers in the military police. India has taken an important step toward addressing gender bias in the armed forces.

In March 2019, the government had announced its decision to allow women in newer areas, but awaited terms of reference before opening up the force for women.

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced permanent commission for women.

Till now, women were part of the various establishments in the Army but only as officers. This is for the first time, women will be inducted in the ranks of soldiers. Presently, women are recruited for selected roles in medical, education, legal, signals and engineering wings and only as officers.