Neeru Sambyal, Wife of Martyred J&K Soldier, Joins Indian Army as Lieutenant

Jammu, Sept 23: Neeru Sambyal, wife of martyred Jammu & Kashmir soldier, has set an exemplary precedence before the nation by joining the Indian Army as a lieutenant. The feat was achieved by her after clearing the 49-week ace military training, when she competed with 26 female personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal.

Neeru had lost her husband, Lt Rifleman Ravinder Singh, in April 2015 when he was martyred in cross-border ambush. Their daughter was two-years-old at the time of his demise. Neeru claims that her biggest motivation to join the Army was her daughter, in whose life she did not wanted to create the void of a father.

"I never wanted her to feel the absence of her father and wished to fill for both roles, of a father and mother. That's the motivation that helped me complete the 49 weeks of training. I got commissioned on 8th September 2018. Being in army one has to be mentally strong as there are times when one has to face situations where physical strength won't matter much," she said.

Neeru got full support of her in-laws, as well as her family. Both paternal and maternal sides backed her, in achieving her dreams, she said.

Neeru's father Darshan Singh Slathia called her selection into the armed forces an unprecedented achievement. "I am very happy and proud of her achievement. I did whatever it took to support her."

"It was my daughter's choice to join the army. Initially, it was a little difficult for us to accept her decision but after consultations, we decided to support her wholeheartedly in achieving her dreams," he said, further acknowledging the efforts of his late son-in-law's Commanding Officer who motivated Neeru to join the military ranks.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 23, 2018 07:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).