Almost three years after the loss of her husband in the conflict between India and China, Lieutenant Rekha Singh is set to travel to eastern Ladakh. There, she will oversee the supply chain of equipment, clothing, and ammunition for the Army at a forward location along the Line of Actual Control.
On Saturday, Lt. Rekha, wife of the late Naik Deepak Singh, was commissioned as an officer in the Army Ordnance Corps, responsible for providing material and logistical support to the force in the event of war.
Naik Deepak Singh, a nursing assistant in the Army’s Bihar regiment, was posthumously conferred the Vir Chakra in 2021 for his bravery in the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020, which claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers.
During the passing out parade at the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) on Saturday, Lt. Rekha expressed her pride in being commissioned as an officer. She underwent rigorous training as an Army cadet for 11 months at the academy. The ceremony was attended by senior military officials, dignitaries, and family members of the newly commissioned officers.
“My husband must be feeling proud wherever he is. This was a hard decision, but I wanted to experience everything my husband went through, so I decided to join the Indian Army,” she said after the parade.
Army officers stated that Rekha will be posted to a frontline base along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The ongoing military standoff between India and China is entering its third year, and despite some resolutions at a few friction points, the situation remains tense with no sign of overall de-escalation.
A senior officer mentioned that Lt. Rekha’s journey began when she cleared the Services Selection Board (SSB) early last year and began training in May.
“Wives of soldiers killed in action are exempt from appearing for the Combined Defence Services Examination, which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), a prerequisite for the SSB interview,” the officer said.
The Army tweeted, “Woman Cadet Rekha Singh, wife of Late Naik (Nursing Assistant) Deepak Singh, #VirChakra (Posthumous) got commissioned into #IndianArmy after completing her training from #OTA #Chennai.”
The first batch of five women cadets were commissioned as officers into the Army’s Regiment of Artillery on Saturday after the parade, alongside 19 male officers who were commissioned in this arm.
Of them, Lt. Mehak Saini is commissioned into a SATA (Surveillance and Target Acquisition) Regiment, Lt. Sakshi Dubey and Lt. Aditi Yadav into Field Regiments, Lt. Pious Mudgil into a Medium Regiment, and Lt. Akanksha into a Rocket Regiment.
Army officers said that the women officers getting commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery are being provided the same opportunities and challenges as their male counterparts.
Lieutenant Pious Mudgil said all the women officers will train together and aim to become experts in the field.
