Given choice to retreat amid Pak shelling, 7 BSF women sent enemy running

India Today

4 days ago

This was almost an imitation of JP Dutta's 1997 film Border. Despite facing intense shelling and given the option to withdraw from their border posts, the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel not only defended, but hit back. The bravehearts, in this case, were an all-woman team being led by Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari. For three long days and nights, as an infuriated Pakistan retaliated to India's Operation Sindoor, the seven women stayed put, defended their posts, and made the enemy retreat.advertisementWhat makes this instance of bravery by the women soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor sector even more noteworthy is the fact that this was their first active combat engagement. Most of the seven BSF personnel had joined the border-guarding force within the last two to three years. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, and they seized it with courage.Assistant Commandant Bhandari, who was leading the team, joined the BSF about three years ago.
In doing so, Bhandari became the first woman officer from India to lead a team in a combat role, even as the Indian Army is yet to deploy women in similar capacities.Under Operation Sindoor, the BSF retaliated with full force – striking back at 76 Pakistani border outposts and 42 forward defence locations, and destroying three terrorist launch pads, along with 70 forward Pakistani posts.NEHA BHANDARI: SERVICE RUNS IN HER BLOODadvertisementBhandari and her team were given the choice to withdraw by their male seniors. But for Bhandari, whose roots lie deep in a family tradition of service, stepping back was never an option. With a grandfather who was an Army veteran, and both her parents CRPF personnel, Bhandari knew the honour of service."I feel proud to be manning a post along the International Border with my troops. It is approximately 150 metres away from the Pakistani post in the Akhnoor-Pargwal area," Bhandari told news agency PTI. "It was an honour to serve at the forward post and give a befitting reply with all available weapons from my post to enemy posts."During the operation, the women personnel manned critical positions, delivering heavy retaliatory fire on Pakistani locations in adjoining Sialkot."I had three posts falling in my area. I pinned down the people at all three hostile locations. We hit them with every weapon we had. They were forced to flee their posts," Bhandari told PTI.The operation spanned three days and three nights, ending only after sustained fire from the BSF forced the Pakistani forces to retreat from their forward locations.SIX OTHERS WHO WERE 'HIGH ON JOSH'Of the six women who engaged in direct firing, four had joined the force as recently as 2023, while two brought nearly two decades of experience. Veterans Manjit Kour and Malkit Kour from Punjab led two crucial positions—an observation post and a bunker.advertisementFor Swapna Rath and Shampa Basak from West Bengal, Sumi Xess from Jharkhand, and Jyoti Banian from Odisha, the mission was a powerful test of the skills and discipline developed through rigorous training.Constable Shankari Das, who manned a gun position on a forward post, said, "We have our duties. Just as we are deployed at the border, we carry out our tasks as usual. Our senior commanders briefed us on the situation and warned that firing might take place. We were instructed to respond to fire with fire. So, as soon as the firing started, we responded with fire.""The 'josh' was quite high. Everyone among us gave their best, because everything we did was for the country and its honour," she added.The stakes were high."I had 18 to 19 women border guards with me. To be precise, six women were engaged in direct firing at observation post locations. We are proud of them," said Bhandari.Women have had to fight for combat roles. But this example of valour by the BSF personnel will have several succeeding stories. For the first time in history, 17 women officer cadets passed out from the National Defence Academy (NDA) on Friday.Tune InMust Watch