Priya Semwal’s husband Naik Amit Sharma died while serving with the 14 Rajput regiment in a counter-insurgency operation near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh in 2012
Chennai: Scripting history, 26-year-old Priya Semwal, who lost her husband in a counter-insurgency operation two years back, was inducted into the technical wing of the armed force as a young officer on Saturday.
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Priya Semwal is one of the 62 women who were appointed as short service officers in the Indian Army. File pic
Semwal is one of the 62 women, besides 194 men, who were commissioned into the Indian Army as short service officers at the ceremonial passing out parade at the Officers Training Academy.
The mother of then four-year-old Khwahish Sharma, Semwal’s future looked bleak when she heard the death of her husband Naik Amit Sharma serving with the 14 Rajput regiment in a counter-insurgency operation near hilly Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh in 2012.
“Her husband was serving in my unit. In that operation, he lost his life while others suffered injuries. When I learnt Amit had encouraged her to complete degree and then PG, I thought she should become an officer,” said Colonel Arun Agarwal, Commanding Officer, 14 Rajput Regiment.
Agarwal’s word of advice, however, was not received readily. “Her brother initially said she just lost her husband and how can I ask them now. But, eventually they all agreed,” said the Colonel.
There might be instances where wives of Army officers would have joined the force after their death, but this is probably the first time, the wife of a Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) has become an officer, he pointed out.
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