Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): At a time when women are breaking every conceivable glass ceiling, there is one institution in Madhya Pradesh which has no entry for women.
And that is the Special Armed Force (SAF) of the state government. There are 22 SAF battalions stationed in different parts of the state. Around 23,000 personnel of various ranks are part of these battalions.
Of these 23,000 personnel, just 70 are women. This means, women constitute just 0.3% of the SAF personnel.
The SAF was constituted in the state under The Madhya Pradesh Vishesh Sashastra Bal Adhiniyam, 1968. The Act and the rules framed do not provide for entry of women into the force. The force was constituted in addition to the police force constituted under the Police Act 1861 by the government in 1968.
They are basically meant for deployment in places where there is a law and order situation or which have been struck by natural or man-made calamities such as fire, floods, earthquake or enemy action.
ADG Chanchal Shekhar, who is in charge of the SAF, said that the rules do not permit recruitment of women in the force. However, he says that this should not be construed as any kind of discrimination against women. "The SAF personnel have to work under tough conditions, which is not suitable for women," he said.
The SAF is deployed in areas where there are communal riots or other kinds of disturbances and to deal with disasters. They have to move at very short notice and have to live and work in tough conditions at the place of deployment. Women, especially those who are married or have small children, cannot be expected to move at short notice and remain away from their homes for months at end.
Sole women company in Bhopal
As an exception, 70 women were recruited to the SAF's 23rd battalion in 2016-17, which has the only women company in the state. The headquarters is at Bhopal and, among other women, this company inducts women from the sports quota.
