New Delhi: cadet Rekha SinghGalvan Hero’s wife, Late Nike (Nursing Assistant) Deepak Singh, She joined the Indian Army as an officer on Saturday after completing her training from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai.
Her first posting is in Ladakh, the same command under which her husband made the supreme sacrifice.
Besides Rekha, the Army also inducted its first set of women officers in the Regiment of Artillery on Saturday.
Army sources said Lt Singh has been commissioned in the Ordnance Corps.
Rekha and Deepak, awarded the country’s third highest wartime award Vir Chakra, had been married for only 15 months when The skirmish with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) took place in 2020 at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh. 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the skirmish.
Naik Singh is credited with treating not only his fellow brothers, but also the Chinese soldiers, despite being wounded himself. It was a falling rock that killed him when he was flanking Chinese soldiers.
After the defeat, Rekha decided to join the army. She could not clear the entrance exam in the first attempt, but passed in the second attempt.
female officer in artillery
Five women officers joined the Artillery Regiment after successfully completing the training.
These five officers are being provided with the same opportunities and challenges as their male counterparts (19 male officers are also commissioned in the Artillery).
Sources said these young officers are being posted to all types of artillery units where they will get adequate training and exposure to handle rocket, medium, field and Surveillance and Target Acquisition (SATA) and equipment in challenging conditions.
Of the five women officers, three are in units deployed along the northern borders and two in the western theatre.
Lt Mehak Saini has been commissioned into a SATA Regiment, Lt Sakshi Dubey and Lt Aditi Yadav into a Field Regiment, Lt Pavitra Moudgil into a Medium Regiment, and Lt Akanksha into a Rocket Regiment.
In January this year, Army Chief General Manoj Pandey had announced the decision to commission women officers in the artillery which was later approved by the central government.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)