Kolkata: The body of Indian Armys first female jawan Shanti Tigga was found hanging in a railway hospital in West Bengals Jalpaiguri district Tuesday.The 37-year-old Tiggas body was found in the toilet of a cabin at the Alipurduar Railway Hospital. A senior police officer said it appeared to be a case of suicide.
Tigga, attached to the 969 Railway Engineer Regiment of the Territorial Army and posted at the Chalsa Railway station, was last week found tied to a post by the railway track at Deopani village and later claimed that she was kidnapped by unknown people.She was admitted to the hospital after that.
She was provided security and there were guards outside the cabin.Her son, who was also in the cabin, who raised an alarm after she did not come out of the toilet for long. The guards found her dead when they broke the door to enter the toilet.
Tigga joined the Indian Railways in 2005 and successfully cleared tests to join the Railway Engineer Regiment of the Territorial Army. Six years later, she became the first woman jawan of the Indian army.
A police officer said Tigga had been accused for she had taken money from people on the pretext of getting them jobs.
She was honoured by former president Pratibha Patil for being the first female jawan of our country.She was an inspiration to many women by being the mother of two she had outcasted her 
male counterparts in physical tests. At this moment we can refer to an article published in one of the newspapers about her achivement:
Another barrier has been broken in the Army with a mother of two becoming the first woman jawan.
Outperforming her male counterparts in the physical tests, 35-year-old Sapper Shanti Tigga joined the 969 Railway Engineer Regiment of Territorial Army (TA).
“Women are allowed to join the armed forces only as officers in the non-combat units. But Tigga has earned the unique distinction of being the first lady jawan in the 1.3 million strong defence forces,” a senior Army officer said.
“She performed exceedingly well in all the physical tests. She took five seconds less than her male counterparts to complete 1.5-km run. She completed the 50 metre run in 12 seconds which is rated as excellent,” he said.
Employed with the Railways as a points-man and posted at Chalsa station in West Bengals Jalpaiguri district, Tigga volunteered for the TA last year.
“I joined Railways in 2005, on compensatory ground after my husband passed away. Last year, I learnt about TA Railways and I volunteered for it. At that time, I was not aware that no woman has ever joined the Army as personnel below officer rank. But that was hardly a deterrent,” she said.
During her Recruitment Training Camp (RTC), Tigga had impressed the firing instructors with her skills in handling guns and earned the top-most position of marksman.
“With her overall performance in the RTC including physical test, drill and firing, she was adjudged the best trainee,” an official said.
It had always been Tiggas dream to join the Army, wear the olive green uniform and fire guns.
“Some of my relatives were in the armed forces and I was always motivated by them to become a part of the Army. I prepared hard to clear the physical tests. I know I have made my family proud by becoming the first woman Army jawan,” she said.
