As many as three officers from the tricity will shine at this year’s Republic Day parade on Rajpath in Delhi.
Capt Preeti Choudhary from 140 AD Regt (SP) will be commanding the upgraded Schilka weapon system as part of the mechanised column on Rajpath, officials said. It is being featured at the parade for the first time.
This will be the second time that she will march on Rajpath on Republic Day. Earlier, she had marched as an NCC cadet in 2016 and was adjudged the second best air wing cadet across the country.
A former cadet of No 1 Chandigarh NCC Air Squadron and an alumnus of the Government College for Girls, she was awarded the coveted Sword of Honour on passing out from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, in 2018.
From Mohali, Capt Vibhor Gulati will lead 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.
Captain Gulati is currently stationed at 841 Rocket Regiment that was 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. This system can deliver immense firepower onto enemy targets at 37.5km with newer versions coming in near future that are able to fire even at 90km.
This regiment played an important role in the 1965 and 1971 wars.
Capt Karanveer Singh Bhangoo of 54 Armoured Regiment, who belongs to Panchkula, is leading the T-90 tank contingent. He was motivated to join the Army by his grandfather, Major Gurmel Singh (retd), who served with the 3rd Battalion of the Grenadiers. The 54 Armoured Regiment was raised on July 1, 2010, and is the youngest Army Regt to have been conferred with a Unit Citation in eight years of its raising. The regiment has served in South Kashmir during abrogation of Article 370 and 35A and is presently commanded by Col Vinod Atri.
