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IMA passing out parade: Proud parents virtually watch officers get commissioned
Four cadets from Mohali’s AFPI commissioned as Lieutenants in the Indian Army
With the Covid-19 pandemic bringing changes across various spheres, the passing out parade of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun was also no different.
Normally right there to experience the proud moment and congratulate their sons, parents of the newly commissioned army officers this year had to be content with watching the parade virtually.
Lt Simranjit Singh, Lt Karan Singh Cheema, Lt Gurlal Singh and Lt Sahgurbaz Singh, four cadets of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI), Mohali, besides Lt Animesh from Chandigarh, were among the cadets commissioned as Lieutenants in the Indian Army in an impressive Passing out Parade and Pipping Ceremony held at IMA, Dehradun, on Saturday.
Due to the Covid 19 threat, parents of all newly commissioned Lieutenants witnessed the parade live on TV. The pipping ceremony, which is done by parents or family members, was also done by the IMA officers.
“The four cadets are from the 4th batch of the academy,” said AFPI director Major General BS Grewal.
A resident of Phase 3, Lt Sahgurbaaz Singh is a 2014-batch alumnus of St John’s High School, Chandigarh, and Shemrock School, Mohali.
He will be joining the 101 Medium Regiment. His parents are Balvinder Singh, a deputy general manager with a telecom firm and Harjot Kaur, a joint general manager at Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO). His sister Jappji Mehar is a scientist with the department of space, ISRO.
Lt Simranjit Singh, hailing from Hoshiarpur, will join the First Horse Regiment, which his father had also served as a Junior Commissioned Officer.
A native of Faridkot, Lt Gurlal Singh has been picked for the 12 Field Regiment.
Lt Karan Singh Cheema, a resident of Mohali, is going to the Assam Regiment, which his father Lt Col S Cheema had also served.
A resident of Sector 44, Lt Animesh is the son of Major ML Sharma (retd). He has been commissioned in 20 Rajputana Rifles, the oldest rifle regiment. His first posting is at on the China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
The AFPI was set up by the Punjab government in 2011 for training cadets aiming to join the armed forces as commissioned officers.
Director Major General BS Grewal said, “Punjab was once known as the Sword Arm of India, but over the years, its contribution to the armed forces has decreased. This year, the cadets from AFPI have increased. We have sent 137 cadets from seven courses to NDA, of which 63 have been commissioned as officers, while rest are still training. ”
Meanwhile, Chandigarh resident Ramanjot Singh, who also passed out from the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala, also did not have his parents by his side at the ceremony.
His parents Manminder Singh and Jai Preet Kaur , residents of Sector 46, said even though the ceremony was postponed from May 28 to June 13, they unfortunately still could not attend the event.
