Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
In a landmark achievement for Punjab’s military legacy, four cadets from the state were commissioned as Lieutenants in the Indian Army on Saturday.
The four include two women cadets from the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI) for Girls and two cadets from the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (MRSAFPI).
The commissioning ceremony was held at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, during a spectacular Passing Out Parade reviewed by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, PVSM, AVSM & VSM.
Lady Cadet Deepnoor has been commissioned into the prestigious Army Aviation Corps, while Lady Cadet Diksha Dhiman has joined the Army Ordnance Corps.
Deepnoor is the daughter of S. Sukhbir Singh, a professor at Sardar Beant Singh State University, Gurdaspur, and Ramanpreet Kaur, a government school teacher. Diksha Dhiman is the daughter of businessman Pawan Kumar of Pathankot and Indu.
The two MRSAFPI cadets also brought laurels to Punjab. Cadet Ishpreet Singh Dhillon, son of late Dr Paramjit Singh Dhillon and Santosh Kaur, has joined the Regiment of Artillery.
Lieutenant Arsh Singh, son of Major General P.S. Sandhu (Retd), has joined the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Branch, carrying forward his family's military legacy as a second-generation Army officer.
Congratulating the newly commissioned officers, Punjab Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister Aman Arora said the young officers would inspire thousands of youngsters across the state to serve the nation.
“These young officers will inspire thousands of youth across Punjab to serve the nation. Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's leadership, the state government is fully committed to handholding and supporting every youth aspiring to join the Armed Forces as a commissioned officer,” Arora said.
Maj Gen Jasbir Singh Sandhu, AVSM (Retd), Director of Mai Bhago AFPI, expressed happiness over the achievement and said the milestone would further strengthen the institute's mission of preparing more daughters of Punjab for commissioning into the Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, Maj Gen Ajay H. Chauhan, VSM (Retd), Director of MRSAFPI, congratulated the newly commissioned officers and urged them to uphold the ideals of the nation and make their alma mater proud.
He also said that 15 more MRSAFPI cadets have cleared the Services Selection Board (SSB) and are awaiting joining letters for the December 2026 course.
