As the first officer in the Indian Army to deploy to Siachen, Captain Shiva Singh Chauhan is making history. To serve on the frozen battlefield, where temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees, she had to go through rigorous training, including ice-wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue, and survival drills.
For Captain Shiva Singh Chauhan, no mountain is too high. Meet the first woman officer in the Indian Army, currently deployed to the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier.
The Fire and Fury Corps, based in Leh, is in charge of some of the most delicate frontiers and battlefields, including Western and Eastern Ladakh. A picture of the young officer was posted on Twitter with the caption “breaking the glass ceiling” by the Corps.
Chauhan has been deployed at the Kumar Post, the Northern Glacier Battalion’s headquarters, which is at a height of 15,632 feet. The highest post on the glacier is over 21,000 feet, and close to 80% of the posts are above 16,000 feet.
Chauhan will join other soldiers for a three-month deployment in Siachen, where temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees. She will lead the team and be in charge of a lot of combat engineering tasks.
The arduous training On January 2, the captain was incorporated into the Siachen Glacier. According to the Fire and Fury Corps, Chauhan was deployed following “arduous training.” At the Siachen Battle School, this included endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue, and survival drills. She trained alongside other Indian Army officers and men.
The army released a statement that read, “In spite of various challenges, Captain Shiva with unflinching commitment completed the training.”
At the Kumar Post, Chauhan, a Bengal Sapper Officer, will lead a Sappers team.
Special consideration has been given to her because she is the first woman to be sent to the frozen battlefield. According to a report in ThePrint, she will receive her own toilet and hut.
Read also: Why it’s important for the Indian Army to use satellite-based internet on Siachen Glacier? Getting to the top The officer is known for taking on difficult tasks. On Kargil Vijay Diwas in July 2022, she led the Sura Soi Cycling Expedition from the Siachen War Memorial to the Kargil War Memorial. She accepted the challenge of leading the men of the Sura Soi Engineer Regiment at the highest battlefield in the world and was selected to attend the Siachen Battle School for training based on her performance.
The captain, originally from Rajasthan, completed his education at Chennai’s Officers Training Academy. In May 2021, she received her commission into the engineer regiment.
Chauhan had always wanted to serve her country in the armed forces. She received her education in Udaipur and went on to study engineering. She graduated from NJR Institute of Technology, Udaipur, with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
Chauhan’s mother was a housewife and took care of her while she was in school. When she was 11 years old, she lost her father.
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