Meet Lt Rekha Singh, Galwan Valley hero's wife commissioned into Indian Army; posted to eastern Ladakh

New Delhi: Lt Rekha Singh, wife of Naik Deepak Singh, who sacrificed his life in the Galwan Valley violent clash with Chinese troops in June 2020, was commissioned into the Indian Army on Saturday. Lt Rekha Singh, 29, is posted to Ladakh. In the same region, her husband made the supreme sacrifice in defending the country’s territorial integrity. 

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The woman officer, who hails from Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, was allocated to the Army Ordnance Corps. Her husband was in the Army Medical Corps. He was awarded Vir Chakra posthumously on November 24, 2021.

The two had tied the nuptial knot just seven months before the violent clash between the troops of India and China. Naik Deepak Singh was part of the 16th Battalion of the Bihar Regiment. 

His Vir Chakra citation reads, “Naik Singh assessed the battle situation and moved ahead to provide medical assistance. As the violence turned intense and casualties increased, he moved to the frontline to provide first aid to the injured soldiers. During the violence coupled with stone-pelting, he sustained grievous injuries but continued rendering medical support to the injured soldiers. He managed to save as many as 30 lives before succumbing to his injuries.” 

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In February 2022, she cleared the rigorous Services Selection Board (SSB). After clearing the SSB interview, her family members told the media that she had always dreamt of joining the Army, and after Deepak’s death, her resolve got stronger. 

After hearing her dream, military officers, including the then CDS General Bipin Rawat, encouraged her to pursue her dream.