Jammu: Following in the footsteps of her husband Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, who laid down his life in Pulwama, Nitika Kaul on Saturday donned the Army uniform with commander of the Army's northern command Lt Gen Y K Joshi piping stars on her shoulders at a ceremony held at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
She had passed out of the Officers Training Academy on May 26, this year. On Saturday she was formally commissioned into the Indian Army. She will be joining the force as Lieutenant.
The PRO Udhampur, Ministry of Defence shared the brief video on its official Twitter handle, drawing spontaneous praises for Kaul and the Army.
#MajVibhutiShankarDhoundiyal, made the Supreme Sacrifice at #Pulwama in 2019, was awarded SC (P). Today his wife @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 wrote on twitter.
In 2019, Major Dhoundiyal posted with 55 Rashtriya Rifles, sacrificed his life in the Pulwama attack. He was killed during a gun battle with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists just days after a car bomb attack in Pulwama killed 40 paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force personnel. He was awarded Shaurya Chakra (posthumously) for his sacrifice for the nation.
Major Dhoundiyal was married for just nine months before his demise. Thereafter Nikita Kaul made the inspiring decision to join the Indian Army leaving her corporate job.
Just six months after her husband's death, Nikita filled the Short Service Commission (SSC) form. She cleared the exam and the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview as well. She went at Officers Training Academy (OTA) at Chennai for her training.
She left her corporate job to join the Indian Army and in 2020 she passed the Short Service Commission (SSC) examination and the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview.
Back then she had stated, "I took my own time to recover from the major loss and the decision to sit for the Short Service Commission examination happened gradually. Just filling the form in September last year was a big decision. But I had decided that I want to walk on a similar path like my husband."
"You know why this is important because the Army never leaves its families alone even if the soldier is not there. For him to be there and support a veer nari who was married to a brother officer & now adorns the uniform herself, speaks volume about the Army Values & Code of conduct," a netizen Swapnil Pandey, who was among thousands who viewed the tweet, said.
Several others also praised Kaul and one of them wrote what a befitting tribute to the late husband. Truly inspirational story.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
