Lance Naik Manju Becomes Indian Army's First Woman Soldier Sky Diver

As Lance Naik Manju jumped from a height of 10,000 feet from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv helicopter on November 15, she created history by becoming the first woman soldier skydiver of the Indian army. Manju is a part of the Eastern Command from the Corps of Military Police. 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. Manju received training from the skydiving training team which is a part of the Indian army’s adventure wing. The Eastern Command announced her heroic milestone in a Twitter post stating that Manju’s inspiring act is sure to set an example for many other women in the Indian army.

Notably, women now are a part of combat roles in all wings of the Indian Armed Forces and are allowed in both supervisory and combat roles. In fact, in May 2021, as many as 83 women were also inducted into the Indian Army as Jawans for the first time and were then taken into the Corps of Military Service. Three women officers in medical services have also been granted the lieutenant general or equivalent rank as of 2020. In May 2022, another inspirational woman in the Indian Army, Abhilasha Barak also created history by becoming the Indian Army’s first-ever combat fighter.

‘When the bird starts trusting its wings, it conquers the skies,’ said Manju in a statement about her milestone.

Image Source: India.com