Chennai, March 12: Setting an example, Lt. Sangeeta Mall, the wife of martyred Gorkha Rifles jawan Shishir Mall was commissioned into the Indian Army after passing out from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai on March 9. Sangeeta worked as a teacher before marrying Mall in 2013. After Shishir’s death, Sangeeta quit her teaching job to take care of her mother-in-law. The lady officer became motivated to join the Army after she attended an investiture ceremony in Ranikhet in 2016. Indian Army Officer Proposes His Girlfriend During Pipping Ceremony At Officers Training Academy, Chennai.

In the ceremony, the martyred soldier was awarded Sena Medal posthumously. Sangeeta’s brother-in-law Sushant Mall told The Times of India, “Our family had to face several challenges, but now, it is a matter of pride for us that she has become a commissioned officer.” Shishir was a rifleman in the India Army. He attained martyrdom in 2015 while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian Army's tweet:

Meanwhile, Gauri Mahadik, the widow of Major Prasad Mahadik, who died in a fire on December 30, 2017, in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh is all set to join the OTA of the Indian Army in April. The 32-year-old Gauri cleared her Services Selection Board (interview) in the second attempt. She topped the merit list of the SSB in the widow category in her second attempt. After completing 11 months of training at the OTA, Gauri will be commissioned into the Indian Army as Lieutenant in March next year.

Last year in September, Neeru Sambyal, an army man’s widow was also commissioned as Lieutenant in the Army after completing 11 months training from the OTA. Lt. Neeru is a widow of Rifleman Ravinder Sambyal. She has a four-year-old daughter.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2019 02:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).