Nikita Kaul, the wife of Pulwama martyr Major Vibhuti Dhoundiyal, is all set to carry her husband’s legacy as she joined the Indian Army on Saturday. Nikita Kaul had taken a vow to join the Armed Forces when her husband Major Dhoundiyal was posthumously awarded Shaurya Chakra in 2019 for his supreme sacrifice to the nation. Within 6 months after her husband’s demise, she had begun preparations to join the Indian Army.
Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was martyred during a terrorist attack in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir in February 2019. Major Dhoundiyal had sustained gunshot wounds on his neck and abdomen. He was evacuated to the 92 base hospital in Srinagar but succumbed to his injuries soon and was declared dead.
Over two years after his martyrdom, his wife, Nikita Kaul, today paid a befitting tribute to the slain soldier by joining the ranks of the Indian Army. It was a proud moment for her as she got the stars on her shoulders from Army Commander Northern Command Lt Gen YK Joshi himself.
Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal made supreme sacrifice at Pulwama in 2019, was awarded Shaurya Chakra (P). Today his wife Nikita Kaul paid a befitting tribute to him by joining the Indian Army. pic.twitter.com/QcrRKxL2A7
— Prasar Bharati News Services पी.बी.एन.एस. (@PBNS_India) May 29, 2021
Nikita had vowed to join the Army after her husband’s ultimate sacrifice in Pulwama in 2019
Major Dhoundiyal was married for just 9 months before his sad demise, leaving behind him his 27-year-old wife Nikita Kaul Dhoundiyal. However, Major Dhoundiyal’s supreme sacrifice did not go in vain as his wife did not sit around sobbing for her husband’s loss. She resolved to join the Army and started preparing for the Armed Forces.
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 as well in 2020 and was waiting to join the force. She has passed out of the Officers Training Academy on May 26 this year. On Saturday, she was formally commissioned at Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai for her training.
