We, representatives of women’s groups and concerned individuals from all over the country, are shocked at the remark by the Vice Chief of Army Staff reported in the Hindustan Times today. Responding to the suicide of a young woman officer, Lt.Gen.S.Pattabhiraman expressed the view that “The Army can do without women.” You will agree that an immediate written apology is in order.

We have always expressed our concern at the contribution of the army to the increasing and unnecessary militarisation of our society. We will continue to strongly discourage any young people – men or women – from joining this patriarchal and regressive institution. Nevertheless, we are aware that the Army employs a large number of women (albeit in the lower echelons or in low-profile units like the Nursing Corps) who, despite Lt.Gen.Pattabhiraman’s views, are certainly essential to its functioning.

We are concerned for the welfare of the women who are working in an institution that is unashamedly sexist and masculinist in its interpretations of women’s rights and gender equality. Given the pronouncements by officers at the highest levels, it is not difficult to imagine the culture the bottom.

The record of the Armed Forces in providing dignified working conditions, protection from harassment and equal treatment to women is a dismal one. The resistance some years ago to allowing senior Army nurses to wear uniforms appropriate to their rank, the more recent case of hounding and labelling as ‘insane’ of a woman officer who complained of sexual harassment, and now this unexplained suicide – all point to large- scale suppression and violation of rights.

The Armed Forces are financed with the taxpayers’ money and should be bound by the same rules and norms of equality as any other workplace. We demand a judicial enquiry into the working conditions and rights of women in the Armed Forces and an immediate institution of mechanisms for the hearing and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment, discriminatory treatment, intimidation and abuse of power by senior officers. These issues are too serious to be dealt with through internal procedures that are completely opaque and protected from scrutiny by civil society.

SIGNED

Organisations

DELHI: JAGORI, Nirantar, RAHI, Zubaan, Saheli, Manushi, NEN
TAMILNADU: Tamilnadu Women’s Forum, Tamilnadu Dalit Women’s Movement, TN Women’s Collective, Alliance of People’s Movements, Ekta
MAHARASHRA: Akshara, Vacha, Aawaz-e-Niswan, Labia, WRAG, Aalochana
GUJARAT: Sahiyar, Anandi, Olakh
KOLKATA: Swayam, Human Rights Law Network, Sanchetana, Krishna Roy NFIW-WB Committee, Association of Women with Disability, Sachetana, Lake Garden WCDG
KERALA: Anweshi, Sakhi

Individuals

KOLKATA: Soma Marik, Shatarupa Sengupta, Madhuchhanda Karlekar, Rajashri Dasgupta

DELHI: Jaya Srivastava, Ranjana Padhi, Imrana Qadeer, Gautam Bhan, Abhijit Menon-Sen, Dunu Roy, Geetha Bharadwaj, Ruchi Yadav, Shrutipriya Dalmia, Deepa Grover, Sujai Kumar, Kamla Kumar, Madhu Kishwar, Manjima Bhattacharjya, Radha, Satyavati

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