Wife and mother of late Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, who was killed in Pulwama during an operation where five terrorists were killed and 200 kilograms of explosive was discovered, received the Shaurya Chakra (posthumously) on behalf of the martyr. The honour was felicited by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind. Major Dhoundiyal's wife Nikita Kaul joined the Indian Army after his death.
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Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was announced as the recipient of the award on Indian Independence Day in 2019. He belonged to the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers of the 55th Battalion, the Rashtriya Rifles. According to the citation by the Government of India, the major planned battalion level operation on February 17, 2019, after receiving inputs of terrorists hiding in a village. He was shot during the operation by a terrorist.
His wife Nikita Kaul, after 27 months of losing her husband, donned an Army uniform and completed her training on May 30 from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Lieutenant Kaul is a resident of Kashmir and was married to Major Dhoundiyal for nine months before he was gunned down in the operation at Pulwama. He was one of the five security force personnel who were martyred on February 18, 2019.
Major Dhoundiyal was awarded the Shaurya Chakra, which is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, sacrifice and courageous action, for his sacrifice for the nation.
#WATCH | Delhi: Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal’s wife Lieutenant Nitika Kaul and mother Saroj Dhoundiyal receive his Shaurya Chakra (Posthumous) for an operation in Jammu and Kashmir in which five terrorists were killed and 200 kg explosives were recovered. pic.twitter.com/0TmNwgBQ3b
Lieutenant Kaul went on to clear the Short Service Commission (SSC) following her husband's demise and after a year of rigorous training, joined Indian Armed Forces. Kaul had left her job in a multinational company in Delhi to join the Armed Forces.
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In an interview with a news media, she said, "I want to be an officer who everyone can be proud of, Vibhu can be proud of." She met the late major while pursuing MBA and believes that her marriage with him does not end with his death. "Vibhu is not here physically that doesn't mean that our marriage has ended," she said. Read more on her here.
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