Captain Shiva Chauhan

Some Lesser Known Facts About Captain Shiva Chauhan

• Captain Shiva Chauhan is an Indian Army Personnel who became the first women officer to get operationally deployed at Siachen Glacier’s Kumar Post on 2 January 2023. Located at an altitude of around 15,600 feet in the Karakoram range of the Himalayas, Siachen Glacier is the highest battlefield in the world. Shiva is a Sapper of Fire and Fury Corps, the 4th Corps of the Indian Army.

• When Shiva was 11 years old, her father passed away following which her mother raised her singlehandedly.

• Shiva desired to join the Indian Army since childhood.

• In March 2020, she appeared for the Service Selection Board interview in Allahabad and secured an All India Rank #1. Subsequently, she was recommended for SSC-Tech 25 (Army) entry by 19SSB Allahabad.

• Chauhan graduated with honours from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai in May 2021 post which she was commissioned into the Engineer Regiment of the Indian Army as a Lieutenant.

• In 2022, she got promoted to the rank of Captain through field ranking.

• Chauhan successfully led the Sura Soi Cycling Expedition from Siachen War Memorial to the Kargil War Memorial on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas in July 2022. She covered a distance of 508 km during the expedition.

• She then took up the daunting task to lead the men of the Sura Soi Engineer Regiment at the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier, and was assigned to the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army’s Northern Command.

  

• In 2022, based on her performance, Shiva qualified to receive training at the Siachen Battle School. At the training school, Shiva had to undergo arduous training which included ice wall climbing, endurance training, avalanche and crevasse rescue, and survival drills. She was the only woman at the training centre.

  

• After Shiva underwent rigorous training for around a month, she was deployed at the Kumar Post, Siachen Glacier for a period of three months on 2 January 2023, leading a team of Sappers. The team led by Shiva was responsible for numerous combat engineering tasks.

  

• Announcing the news of Shiva’s induction at Kumar Post, the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army tweeted,
  

  Breaking the Glass Ceiling. Captain Shiva Chauhan of Fire and Fury Sappers became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed in Kumar Post, post completion of arduous training, at the highest battlefield of the world Siachen.”

• The Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh, took to Twitter to Congratulate Captain Shiva Chauhan on her achievement. He tweeted,
  

  Excellent news! I am extremely happy to see more women joining the Armed Forces and take every challenge in stride. It is an encouraging sign. My best wishes to Capt Shiva Chauhan.”

• In an interview, Shiva credited her mother for her success. In the same interview, she revealed that she had learned presentation skills from her elder sister.

• Some Sources revealed that special arrangements were made to accommodate Shiva, the only woman officer at the Kumar Post. She was given a separate hut and restroom.