Sanjha Morcha

Army officers from tricity shine at Republic Day parade on Rajpath Preeti Choudhary is the only woman Army officer to lead a contingent this year

Army officers from tricity shine at Republic Day parade on Rajpath

Captain Preeti Choudhary. — Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 24

Young officers from the tricity are shining at this year’s Republic Day parade on Rajpath in the capital. The three officers are leading different marching contingents of the Army.

Captain Preeti Choudhary from Army Air Defence is commanding the upgraded Schilika anti-aircraft weapon system that is being featured at the parade from the first time.

She is the only woman Army officer to lead a contingent this year.

A former cadet of No.1 Chandigarh NCC Air Squadron, she was awarded the coveted Sword of Honour on passing out from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai in 2018.

In fact, this is the second time she is marching down Rajpath on Republic Day, the earlier occasion being as an NCC cadet in 2016. She had then been adjudged as the second best air wing cadet across the country.

Capt Vibhor Gulati from Mohali, is leading the Artillery’s Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System.

An Engineering graduate, he had joined the Army after a brief career as data scientist in Bengaluru.

He is presently posted to 841 Rocket Regiment that had been raised as the 84 Counter Bombardment Regiment in 1963 at Ambala. Later, equipped with mortars and having been deployed along the Line of Control to counter ceasefire violations, it was converted into a rocket regiment in April 2020.

Capt Karanveer Singh Bhangoo of 54 Armoured Regiment, who belongs to Panchkula, is leading the T-90 tank contingent. He had been motivated to join the Army by his grandfather, Maj Gurmel Singh (retd) served with the 3rd Battalion of the Grenadiers.

His regiment, raised in 2010, is the youngest armoured unit to have been conferred with a Unit Citation. It was stationed in South Kashmir during the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.