In a proud moment, the wife of a Pulwama martyr paid a rich and fitting tribute to him as she was inducted into the Indian Army to serve the nation with tonnes of pride. It was indeed a proud moment for her as she donned the Army outfit for the first time in her life.
It is to be noted that Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was martyred in the February 2019 encounter with JeM terrorists in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously for his supreme sacrifice for the nation.
His wife by the name of Nikita Kaul who belongs to a Delhi-based Kashmiri family paid a tribute to him by joining the ranks of the Indian Army. Nikita Kaul obtained the stars on her shoulders pipped from Army Commander Northern Command Lt Gen YK Joshi.
“I’ve experienced the same journey he has been through. I believe he’s always going to be part of my life: Nitika Kaul said after successfully passing out from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai.
Meanwhile, PRO Udhampur, Ministry of Defence took to its official Twitter handle and wrote: “#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!”
It is to be noted that Major Dhoundiyal was married for only 9 months before his unexpected demise. However, his sacrifice didn’t go in vain at all because his wife took a great decision to join the Indian Army and make her husband proud.
Just 6 months after her husband’s sacrifice to the nation, Nikita filled the Short Service Commission (SSC) form. She successfully cracked the exam including the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview.
She also got commissioned at Officers Training Academy (OTA) at Chennai for her training and then officially joined the Indian Army as Lieutenant Nikita Kaul Dhoundiyal on May 29, 2021.
Maj Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was born in Dehradun in Uttarakhand on December 18, 1987. He studied at St Joseph School Dehradun and then did his graduation from DAV college. He was interested to join the Armed Forces since his childhood and then pursued his dream after his graduation.
After that, he cracked the Combined Defence Services Examination and was commissioned into the Army on 17 Sep 2011. By 2019, he put in around eight years of service and evolved into a committed soldier.
After plying his trade for a few years with his parent unit, Major Vibhuti was deputed to serve with 55 RR Battalion, positioned in J & K for counterinsurgency operations. Major Vibhuti got married to Nitika Kaul on 19th April 2018.