Dehradun: President Droupadi Murmu is likely to be the reviewing officer (RO) at the Indian Military Academy (IMA)'s upcoming passing out parade (PoP) in Dehradun on June 13. This event will mark a historic first for the premier Army training institution, as it will see the commissioning of its first-ever batch of female officer cadets (OC). The batch consists of eight officer cadets who were inducted into IMA in July last year.
Confirmation from Army Headquarters
An officer from the Army headquarters in Delhi, while confirming the development, stated that the President will witness the historic moment as the RO of the PoP, provided there is no change in plans before the event. "Also, the eight female OCs will be completing their training along with other OCs batch in the next few days. The final number of the OCs, including the female ones, will be decided a day or two before the PoP," said the officer on condition of anonymity.
Landmark Moment in IMA History
The commissioning of the female OCs represents a landmark moment in the history of an institution that has trained generations of male Army officers since its establishment in 1932. Before President Murmu, other presidents who have attended the PoPs as RO include APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006, Pratibha Patil in 2011, and Ram Nath Kovind in 2021.
Previous Passing Out Parade
In the previous PoP held last December, 491 OCs successfully passed out and were commissioned as officers into the Indian Army. The grand ceremony featured a combined total of 525 officer cadets, including 34 cadets from friendly foreign countries who completed their training.
