Twenty-seven months after she lost her husband in an anti-insurgency operation in south Kashmir’s Pulwama, 29-year-old Nitika Kaul on Saturday donned the Military uniform after completing one-year rigorous training in Tamil Nadu.
Army’s Northern Commander Lt. Gen. Y.Ok. Joshi pipped the celebrities on her shoulders at a simple ceremony held at the Officers Coaching Academy, Chennai, and wished her the very best of luck for future endeavors.
Lieutenant Kaul, initially a resident of Kashmir, was married to Main Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal for simply 9 months when the news of him making the supreme sacrifice for the nation throughout a gunfight with Jaish-e-Mohammad militants turned her world the other way up. The Main was amongst 5 safety forces personnel killed on February 18, 2019, encounter by which three JeM terrorists, together with two prime commanders believed to be behind the lethal Pulwama suicide assault on a CRPF convoy, had been gunned down.
Main Dhoundiyal was awarded Shaurya Chakra (posthumously) for his sacrifice for the nation. Motivated by her husband, Lt. Kaul cleared the Quick Service Fee (SSC) examination and interview final yr and formally joined the Indian Military as an officer on the ceremony presided over by Lt. Gen. Joshi, the Normal Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Udhampur-based Northern Command.
“#MajVibhutiShankarDhoundiyal, made the Supreme Sacrifice at #Pulwama in 2019, was awarded SC (P). Today his spouse @Nitikakaul dons #IndianArmy uniform; paying him a befitting tribute. A proud moment for her as Lt Gen Y K Joshi, #ArmyCdrNC himself pips the Stars on her shoulders!,” the PRO Udhampur tweeted.
Lt. Kaul, who introduced a courageous face over the last rites of her husband at his hometown Dehradun, had left her job with a multinational firm in Delhi to hitch the Military.