A day after the National Commission for Women expressed its displeasure over the reported remarks of the Army Vice Chief on the presence of women in the force, the women's panel on Monday said there was a need for gender sensitisation of the forces.
Describing the statement made by Army Vice Chief Lt Gen K Pattabhiraman that the force could do without women as 'very irresponsible,' NCW Chairperson Girija Vyas said, "On such a policy matter (whether there should be women in the forces), it is for the government to decide and not for the chief or vice chief of the Army to comment upon."
Asserting that there should be gender sensitisation of the forces, Vyas said, "There is need to take steps to make our forces more gender sensitive and measures should also be taken to deal with the issue of stress among the Army personnel."
However, Vyas said she was happy that Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had taken note of the issue and said the Army needed more women officers.
Vyas had on Sunday criticised the Army Vice Chief's reported remarks that the force could do without women, saying he should 'take his words back.' Lt Gen Pattabhiraman's reported statement had come in the wake of the alleged suicide by 25-year-old woman officer Lt Sushmita Chakraborty at Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
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