One More Step Towards Equality? Dr Madhuri Kanitkar Promoted to 2nd-highest Rank of Lt. General in Army

Pune, March 1, 2020:

At a time when "equality" between the sexes in all professions is slowly yet steadily becoming the norm, Major General Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar, former Dean of Armed Forces Medical College Pune, has been promoted to the 2nd-highest rank of Lt. General in the Indian Army.

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What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the fact that Dr Kanitkar will only be the 3rd woman officer from defence services to bag this prestigious position.

Vice admiral Dr. Punita Arora was the first woman from the Indian Navy to get the 2nd highest rank in the armed forces and Padmavathy Bandopadhyay, the first woman Air Marshal of the IAF, was the 2nd woman in the forces to be promoted to a 3-star rank.

Her husband, Lt Gen Rajeev Kanitkar, retired from the Army recently, and they are the first couple in the history of the armed forces to reach this rank.

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Dr. Madhuri Kanitkar's elevation to the three-star rank comes amid raging debates about women's ability to lead the armed forces in the thick of battle.

Recently, the Central government told the apex court that women may not be suitable for command posts in the Army citing the reason that male troops are not prepared to accept women officers.

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