Nitika Kaul, Wife of Pulwama Martyr, Joins the Indian Army Two Years After His Death

On 29th May, Lieutenant Nitika Kaul was among 198 cadets of OTA that was commissioned into the Indian army. The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Udhampur-based Northern Command, Lt. Gen Y K Joshi ‘pipped’ Lt. Kaul by placing the badges of ranks on her shoulders at the passing out parade. "#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!" said the tweet.

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Nitika lost her husband, Major Dhoundiyal, nearly ten months into their marriage, after he was killed during an anti-insurgency operation in Pulwama, in the southern region of Kashmir. He sacrificed his life during a gunfight with Jaish-e-Mohammad militants, and was among four security force personnel killed in the encounter. Three JeM terrorists—including two top commanders—were believed to be behind the deadly Pulwama suicide attack on a CRPF convoy. Commissioned in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, he was serving with 55 Rashtriya Rifles at the time of the encounter, and was posthumously decorated with the Shaurya Chakra for his act of courage.

At the time, Nitika Kaul was working with an multinational corporation in New Delhi, and roughly six months after his death, she decided to join the OTA and applied for the 25th Short Service Commission Course (Technical). Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal too had passed out from OTA, Chennai. After clearing the Short Service Commission (SSC) examination and interview, she joined the academy in June 2020.

 

 

"I want to thank everyone who had faith in me. My mother-in-law and my mother who have been part of my journey. I would just like to say that the way you have kept faith in me has made my journey easier. I feel that I am travelling the same journey that he did. I believe he is always going to be part of my life. Even today, he’s somewhere around me looking at me and I can feel that he is just holding me and saying you just did it. I love you, Vibhu," Lt. Kaul said in an interview post the ceremony. 

The citation of the Shaurya Chakra awarded to Major Dhoundiyal states that on February 17, 2019, he was part of an operation launched to neutralise a group of terrorists in a Kashmir village. "During search, officer was fired upon by a terrorist hiding in a cow shed resulting in multiple gunshot injuries to him. Despite being severely injured the officer maintained his tactical composure and retaliated terrorists' fire," it says.

As the passing out parade video went viral, several renowned personalities took to social media to comment on the inspiring feat. 

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Union Minister Smriti Irani also put forth, "Lt. @NitikaKaul, you're an embodiment of dedication, determination, and devotion of India’s Nari Shakti. Major Vibhuti Dhoundiyal would be smiling today with joy and pride seeing stars on your shoulder. My best wishes to you in all your endeavours."