Captain Geetika Koul of the Snow Leopard Brigade on Tuesday carved her name in history by becoming the first woman medical officer of the Indian Army to be deployed at the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh which is the world’s highest battlefield.
Her tough posting came during the ongoing harsh winter after Captain Geetika Koul, who belongs to Kashmir, successfully completed her rigorous induction training at the prestigious Siachen Battle School.
Siachen Glacier is known as the highest-altitude battlefield in the world and is situated near the Indo-Pakistan Line of Control (LOC) in Ladakh. It is the largest glacier in India and the second-largest in the world.
The Ladakh-based 14 Corps of the Indian Army, which guards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China and also the LOC between India and Pakistan in the Union Territory of Ladakh, posted on X Captain Koul’s pictures in which she is seen standing outside a medical inspection (MI) room at Siachen.
The Corps also wrote on X; “Captain Geetika Koul from the Snow Leopard Brigade becomes the first Woman Medical officer of the Indian Army to be deployed at the world’s highest battlefield, Siachen after successfully completing the induction training at Siachen Battle School”.
Earlier in January, Captain Shiva Chauhan became the first woman Army officer to get operationally deployed on the Siachen Glacier. Captain Shiva Chauhan of Fire and Fury Sappers became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at the Kumar Post located at an altitude of 15,600 ft.
The Army has been holding medical check-up camps for civilian population in the far-flung areas of Ladakh. The Trishul Healers conducted a Medical and Dental camp in the border area of Chushul. Community members were screened and treated for various ailments. Dental treatment was also provided, including restoration and extraction. Eighty-eight individuals availed themselves of the benefits at the medical camp in this remote village, an Army spokesman said.
Army doctors on Monday provided treatment, expert advice and free medicines to more than 250 patients belonging to the border villages of Bogdang, Chulungka, Turtuk and Tyakshi.