Pulwama Martyr Major Dhoundiyal Was Married for Less Than a Year

Major Dhoundiyal, a Dehradun resident, was among 4 Army men killed in an encounter with JeM terrorists in Pulwama.

Major Dhoundiyal, a resident of Dehradun, was among four Army men killed in an encounter with JeM terrorists in Pulwama district.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@JaskiratSB)

Even as the last rites of Major Chitresh Bisht were underway in Haridwar on Monday, 18 February, Uttarakhand received the news of another brave soldier – Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal – having been killed in an encounter with terrorists in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dhoundiyal, a resident of Dehradun, was among four Army men killed in an encounter with JeM terrorists in Pulwama district just a short distance away from the spot where 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a JeM suicide attack on 14 February.

34-year-old Dhoundiyal was a jawan of 55 Rashtriya Rifles (RR). He was the only son out of four siblings, according to Dainik Jagran. His father Omprakash Dhoundiyal, a controller defence account officer had passed away in 2012.

His mother, Saroj Devi, was not informed about his death till late on Monday, as she is a cardiac patient. “Army officers first spoke with her in the evening,” a family member was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Mayank Khanduri, Dhoundiyal’s childhood friend, was quoted as saying by the report: “Vibhuti was very studious. He always wanted to join the Army. We studied together till Class 12 and then he joined the forces after completing his graduation. He got married last year with Nikita Kaul, who works in Delhi. The couple stayed here whenever he was off duty.”

‘Had No Arrogance, Was Very Respectful’

Dhoundiyal had joined the Army in 2011 and had spent most of his service years in Jammu and Kashmir. He was the youngest among four siblings.

He was “simple, had no arrogance, and was very respectful,” his neighbour Suman Kala was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. “He married only last year. It is not even a year and he’s gone forever,” Kala said.

Dhoundiyal had married Nikita Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit in April 2018. She was informed of her husband’s death while she was travelling to Delhi to visit her parents on Monday.

He had studied at the St Joseph’s Academy in Dehradun till Class X and then moved to Pine Hall School for Classes XI-XII, as per the report. Before joining the Army, he had completed a BSc degree from DAV PG College.

“He was the officer who would take lead in the operations. He was extremely intelligent and brave,” a senior Army officer told The Indian Express.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat expressed grief at the martyrdom of Dhoundiyal, saying the entire country stood with his family.

Another Dehradun resident, Major Chitresh Bisht, was killed while defusing a mine on the LoC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district on Saturday. His mortal remains were consigned to flames in Haridwar on Monday afternoon.

(With inputs from The Times of India, The Indian Express, PTI and Dainik Jagran)