On November 22, President of India Ramnath Kovind presented Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) to Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal’s wife, Lieutenant Nitika Kaul and mother Saroj Dhoundiyal in a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Major Dhoundiyal received the award for his role in an operation in district Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir, in which five terrorists were killed, and 200 KG explosives were recovered.
Who was Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal
Hailing from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was born on December 18, 1987, to OP Dhondiyal and Saroj Dhondiyal. His grandfather and father had worked in the office of Controller Defence Accounts. Keen to join the Indian Armed Forces, he cleared the Combined Defence Services Examination after graduation from DAV College. On September 17, 2011, just a day before turning 24, he got commissioned into the Army. In April 2018, he got married to Nikita Kaul.
He served in his parent unit for eight years and was deputed to serve 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Battalion in 2019 at Pulwama base in Jammu & Kashmir for counterinsurgency operations.
The last operation
During his time with 55 RR, Major Dhoundiyal led several successful operations in Pulwama. On February 17, 2019, the security forces received credible input from the intelligence sources that the terrorists responsible for February 14, 2019, attack on the CRPF convoy were hiding in Pinglan village, district Pulwama.
Based on the information, 55 RR and J&K Police Special Operation Group launched a search and destroy operation. Notably, Pinglan is located in the neighbourhood of Kakpora, the home village of the terrorist involved in the attack. The team was led by Major Vibhuti under the supervision of Brigadier Harbir Singh. When the team challenged the terrorists, they opened fire. The battle continued for over 20 hours.
During the encounter, despite being injured by the bullets shot by the terrorists, Major Vibhuti crawled and reached close to the hiding spot of the terrorists. He shot dead one terrorist who was trying to escape. He was identified as a dreaded terrorist of the terrorist organization Jaish-e-Muhammad. The assault team eliminated a total of five hardcore terrorists.
Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal showed his valour and courage during the encounter and gave the supreme sacrifice to the motherland.
Major Vibhuti is survived by his mother, wife and three sisters. While bidding the soldier farewell, an emotional Nikita had said, “You said you loved me, but the fact is you loved the nation more. I am really proud. The way you love everyone is entirely different because you sacrificed your life for the people who you may have never met, but still, you decided to give your life for them. You are such a brave man. I am very honoured to have you as my husband. I’ll love you till my last breath. I owe my life to you.”
Just six months after her husband’s sad demise, Nikita had filled the Short Service Commission (SSC) form. She cleared the exam and the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview in 2020 and was waiting to join the force. She has passed out of the Officers Training Academy on May 26 this year.