Army Chief Backs Women Officers; Inquiry Ordered into Leaked Review Letter

The Indian Army has initiated a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the leak of an internal communication concerning the performance review of eight women officers by Lieutenant General Rajeev Puri, the former 17 Corps commander (now retired), Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi has said.

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The Army Chief emphasized that the letter's leak was unacceptable, and an investigation has been ordered.

In October of the previous year, Lt. General Puri penned a five-page letter to Eastern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ram Chander Tiwari, addressing "command by women officers". The letter contained an internal review by the Panagarh-based mountain strike corps, which highlighted concerns such as "ego issues," "frequent complaints," and "lack of empathy" among the women Commanding Officers (COs) under the 17 Corps.

This review follows the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling, which allowed women officers to take on command roles outside the medical stream for the first time, involving 108 women officers in such assignments.

Responding to the controversy, General Dwivedi defended the decision to appoint women officers to CO roles. He explained that the remarks in General Puri's letter were his personal perceptions.