Lance Naik Manju becomes Indian Army’s first woman sky diver with 10,000 ft jump

Indian Army’s woman skydiver: Lance Naik Manju of Eastern Command from the Corps of Military Police created history by becoming the first woman soldier skydiver of the Indian Army. The news was shared by the Eastern Command on November 16, 2022. In a tweet, the Eastern Command said that this inspiring act of lance Naik Manju will also set an example for other women in the country. Notably, earlier in May 2022, 26-year-old Abhilasha Barak from Haryana had also created history by becoming the Indian Army’s first woman combat fighter.

#IndianArmy
L/NK (WMP) Manju of #EasternCommand became first Woman Soldier Sky Diver of the Indian Army. She jumped yesterday from 10,000ft from an ALH. This inspiring act of hers will set an example for other women in the army.@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/YKPufUcnDk

— EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) November 16, 2022

Who is Lance Naik Manju?

Lance Naik Manju is from the Corps of Military Police. She was trained by the skydiving training team of the Indian Army’s Adventure Wing for this heroic jump.

On completing the skydive, Lance Naik Manju said, “When the bird learnt to trust its wings, it conquered the skied.”

How Indian Army’s Lance Naik Manju created history?

Lance Naik Manju became the Indian Army’s first woman skydiver after she jumped from a height of 10,000 ft from the Advanced Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv on November 15, 2022.

Women in Indian Army

All the wings of the Indian Armed Forces have women in combat roles. They are allowed in combat services as well as in supervisory roles (as officers).

As of 2020, three women officers have been granted the rank of lieutenant general or equivalent, all of whom are from the medical services. In May 2021, 83 women were inducted as Jawans for the first time in the Indian Army and they were taken into the Corps of Military Service.

Eastern Command of Indian Army

The Eastern Command is one of the six operational commands of the Indian Army and is headquartered in Fort William in the city of Kolkata in West Bengal. It was formed on November 1, 1920.

Eastern Command is commanded by a three-star rank officer with the title General officer Commanding-in-chief. Lt. Gen. Rana Pratap Kalita is the current GOC-in-C of Eastern Command.

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