Recruit 100 women a year in Corps of Military Police: MoD

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry has issued instructions to the army specifying the procedure to recruit 100 women per year in ‘other ranks’ or ranks below officer-level in the Corps of Military Police, officials said.

The government sanction letter (GSL) issued by the ministry also lays down the tests the probable women recruits would be required to undergo. Around 1,700 women are to be recruited in CMP.

The army will now start advertising for the vacancies. Details for the induction are being worked out by the army’s Recruitment Directorate, these officials said.


“Hundred women military police will be inducted (in the CMP) every year for over 17 years. The terms and conditions for employment of women MP are same as the male MP. Their physical standards are same as women officers,” said one official .

Those recruited will undergo training, which is likely to start around October, at the CMP Centre in Bengaluru.

Officials said infrastructure, including residential accommodation, for women has already been set up there.

There will be two women per CMP section, which comprises five members.

Three women officers are currently posted with the CMP and more are expected to be posted soon.

Officials said the women CMP personnel will be performing the same duties as their male counterparts.

These include maintaining discipline and vigilance, controlling military traffic movement, ceremonial duties and conducting preliminary inquiries into offences. The army had earlier said that a necessity was felt to induct women into the CMP to meet the needs to investigate gender specific allegations and crime.

Following the issue of GSL on February 19, the Special Army Instructions and gazette notification are under publication. They will give out more details on the induction of women in the CMP. The proposal for inducting women into the combat-support arm was approved by the defence ministry on January 21.

This is the first time that women are being inducted into army in other ranks. The move, which comes ahead of the general elections in April-May, highlights the government providing more opportunities to women in the defence services. This includes opening more arms in the army for permanent commission to women officers. However, women getting into combat arms, such as the infantry, can still be long away.