Meet Army Major Sita Shelke whose photos from Kerala's Wayanad go viral

Major Sita Ashok Shelke is reportedly the only woman officer in the 70-member team from Army's Madras Engineering Group from Bengaluru.

A photo of a woman Indian Army officer standing proudly on the railings of the newly constructed Bailey Bridge in the landslide-stricken Chooralmala village of Kerala's Wayanad has gained widespread attention on social media.

The images of Major Sita Ashok Shelke, the only woman officer in the Indian Army's Madras Engineering Group, responsible for building the bridge, stands out amid numerous pictures of the disaster's devastation.

The images of Major Sita Ashok Shelke, the only female officer in the Indian Army unit responsible for building the bridge, stands out amid numerous pictures of the disaster's devastation. Social media is abuzz with praise for Major Sita Ashok Shelke and the Indian Army, applauding their bravery and dedication.

Who is Major Sita Ashok Shelke?

• Major Sita Ashok Shelke hails from Gadilgaon Village, Ahmed Nagar in Maharashtra.
• She is is reportedly the only woman officer in the 70-member team from the Army's Madras Engineering Group (MEG) from Bengaluru.
• Known as the ‘Madras Sappers’, this engineering unit is tasked with clearing the way for the Army, building bridges, and finding and defusing landmines on a war front. The unit also assists in rescue operations during natural disasters and was very active in Kerala during the 2018 floods.
• The Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre overcame the loads of debris, uprooted trees and a rapidly flowing river to complete the construction of the bridge in just 31 hours, and Major Seeta Ashok Shelke was there leading the group of soldiers as they worked tirelessly. "
• Major Sita Ashok Shelke, however, does not consider the successful construction of the bridge a success story of the Army alone.
• "I must convey my thanks to all the local authorities, state officials, and everyone who has helped us from different places. Special thanks to the locals, villagers and state officials," news agency PTI quoted Major Sita Shelke as saying.
• Major Shelke has been relentlessly working in the disaster-hit areas, attending to every exigency, foregoing sleep and even regular meals.
• She and her team worked tirelessly so that many people could be saved and bodies of the dead could be recovered without much delay.
• The construction faced significant challenges due to heavy rainfall and limited space for the bridge construction. Despite these obstacles, Major Shelke and her team managed to ensure the successful construction of the bridge, which remains the only route for ongoing rescue operations.
• Major Shelke, as she rightly claimed, was not ready to restrict herself to the gender roles and has been working on similar terms as her male colleagues in the landslide site.

(With inputs from PTI)