Women in the armed forces were not fit to don frontline combat role, a senior armed forces official said on Tuesday.

"Women are not fit for combat role as the Indian society is not moulded yet to see women combat casualities and women officers in battle fatigues to be exposed to risks like being taken Prisoners of War," Vice Admiral Yogendra Singh said in reply to questions soon after taking over as new Director General of Medical services in New Delhi.

Asked when women officers could become fighter pilots and frontline combatants in the US and other western armies, Surgeon Vice Admiral said, "Indian conditions are different."

"We are not as liberalised as the West where the society is moulded to accept women battle casualties and women officers being taken as hostages and POWs," he said.

Singh said these were his 'personal observations' and did not reflect the thinking of the armed forces.

He refused to comment on a recent report by the Integrated Defence Staff headquarters claiming that most woman officers in the armed forces bypass the chain of command and seek undue privileges from superiors.