Captain Shiva Chauhan Indian Army’s first woman officer deployed at Siachen Glacier

New Delhi. Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Corps of Engineers has become the Indian Army’s first woman officer to be operationally deployed in the Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest and coldest battlefield where the temperature can plunge to minus 60 degrees Celsius in winter.

“In spite of various challenges, Captain Shiva with unflinching commitment completed the training (in preparation for the deployment),” the army said in a statement.

Chauhan will be deployed for three months. She is deployed as a team leader at the at the Kumar post at a height of 15,632 feet post and will be responsible for numerous combat engineering tasks.. Almost 80 per cent of posts on the glacier are located above 16,000 feet, with the highest post at more than 21,000 feet.

In the past, women officers have been posted to Siachen base camp which is at about 9,000 ft as part of their regular postings along with the unit.

Chauhan underwent rigorous training at the Siachen Battle School before being deployed at the glacier. The training included endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue, and survival drills.

She had led the Sura Soi Cycling Expedition from Siachen War Memorial to the Kargil War Memorial conducted on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas in July 2022. She took up the challenge of leading the men of the Sura Soi Engineer Regiment at the world’s highest battlefield, and based on her performance was selected to undergo training at the Siachen Battle School.

Chauhan was commissioned in May 2021. The Rajasthan-based officer holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from NJR Institute of Technology in Udaipur. She lost her father at the young age of 11 years and her mother took care of her studies. From her childhood, she was motivated to join the Indian Armed Forces and showcased unparalleled zeal during training at Officers Training Academy, Chennai.