Women contingent of SSB to be deployed for UN peace keeping in Congo

A 22-member women contingent of SSB will be deployed for the UN peace keeping mission in civil war-stricken Congo.

This is the for the first time that a contingent of SSB is going to be deployed for UN mission.

The team will leave for Congo early morning of June 19 and join the UN peace keeping as part of the Rapid Deployable Battalion of the Indian Army.

SSB Officers and contingent members have been selected from various SSB Battalions through a tough selection process and were imparted weeks of specialised and professional training, an SSB statment said.

The women personnel are between the age group of 26 and 37 and are in high spirits to take on any challenge, it said.

The UN is seeking deployment of a Female Engagement Team (FET) in UN missions as part of its gender parity/sensitisation initiative.

The female officers will conduct patrollings and engage with women for gaining trust of local people.

They will also make the civic action programmes more meaningful and assist in conduct of investigation and riot control and others.

Kumar Rajesh Chandra, DG, SSB also met with the contingent on Friday, to give them a warm send off in a function held here.

He wished them success and advised them to enhance the image of the force and keep the Indian flag and SSB flying high.

Those present were ADG Jyotirmay Chakravarty and other senior officers.

( With inputs from IANS )