3 years after she lost husband in Galwan clashes, Rekha Singh is commissioned into Army

Nearly three years after she lost her husband in the Galwan Valley clashes between India and China, Lieutenant Rekha Singh is set to go to eastern Ladakh, where she will oversee the supply chain of equipment, clothing and ammunition of the Army at a forward location along the Line of Actual Control.

Lt Rekha, wife of 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 instance of a war – on Saturday.

Naik Deepak Singh, a nursing assistant in the Army’s Bihar regiment, was posthumously conferred the Vir Chakra in 2021 in recognition of his bravery in the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020, which claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers.

At the passing out parade on Saturday at the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, Lt Rekha said the commissioning marks a proud moment for her and her family. She has been undergoing rigorous training as an Army cadet for 11 months at the academy. The ceremony was attended by senior military officials, including Lt Gen Adosh Kumar, Colonel Commandant and Director General of Artillery (Designate), other dignitaries and family members of the newly commissioned officers.

“My husband, wherever he is, must be feeling proud. This was a hard decision, but I wanted to feel and go through everything my husband went through. So, I decided to join the Indian Army,” she said after the parade.

Army officers said Rekha will be posted to a frontline base along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The military standoff between India and China is entering its third year next month and despite some resolutions at a few friction points along the LAC following multiple rounds of military talks, the situation continues to remain tense with no sign of an overall de-escalation. This was also highlighted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart at the SCO Defence Ministers’ meet earlier this week.

Both sides have deployed over 50,000 additional troops in the region and have been aggressively building infrastructure for their sustenance.

A senior officer said 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.

“These women are also eligible for age relaxation, although Rekha didn’t require it being in her early 20s,” the officer added.

“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 Army tweeted.

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, it is learnt.

Three of them have been posted to units deployed along northern borders and two in challenging locations in the western theatre, sources said.

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.

“These young women officers are being posted to all types of artillery units, where they will get adequate training and exposure to handle rockets, medium and field guns and SATA equipment in challenging conditions,” an officer said.

Lt Mehak said she couldn’t describe her joy in words as this day has been her aim since her college.

“Let this be a growth opportunity for women. I am a second-generation officer as my father is also an officer in the Army. My parents and brother supported me. It starts from the family,” she said.

Lieutenant Pious Mudgil said all the women officers will train together and aim to become experts in the field.