Captain Shiva Chouhan became the first woman officer to get operationally deployed at Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield, the Indian Army said on Tuesday. Before her deployment, Chouhan was put through a rigorous one-month training at the Siachen Battle School alongside other officers of the Indian Army.
The training included endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue and survival drills.
“In spite of various challenges, Captain Shiva with unflinching commitment successfully completed the training and was all set to be inducted to the Siachen Glacier,” the Army said in a statement.
She was inducted to the Siachen Glacier on January 2, 2023 following an arduous climb.
The team of Sappers led by Capt Shiva Chouhan will be responsible for numerous combat engineering tasks and will be deployed at the post for a duration of three months.
Who is Capt Shiva Chouhan?
Capt Shiva Chouhan, who hails from Rajasthan, is a Bengal Sapper Officer. Chouhan lost her father at the age of 11 and her mother, a housewife, took care of her studies. She did her schooling from Udaipur and graduated from NJR Institute of Technology, Udaipur, in civil engineering.
“Since her childhood, she was motivated to join Indian Armed Forces and showcased unparalleled zeal during training at OTA (Officers Training Academy), Chennai and was commissioned into the Engineer Regiment in May 2021,” the Army said.
Covering a distance of 508 kms, Capt Chouhan successfully led the Sura Soi Cycling Expedition from Siachen War Memorial to Kargil War Memorial conducted on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas in July 2022. She then took up the challenge of leading the men of Sura Soi Engineer Regiment at Siachen and, based on her performance, was selected to undergo training at the Siachen Battle School.
