Sushmita Pandey’s biggest tribute to late husband was joining his Army regiment

Staying strong: Captain Sushmita Pandey.

On March 17, 2016, Major Neeraj Pandey, an officer with the Indian Army Corps of Signals, died in a landslide. His company was deployed along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh as part of a counter-insurgency operation, Operation Rhino.

The biggest tribute to the brave officer’s legacy came when Sushmita Pandey, his wife, joined his regiment as an officer in 2018. She joined the Corps of Signals—the Indian Army arm handling military communications—just a week before her husband’s second death anniversary.

Sushmita belongs to a middle-class Brahmin family from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Before her arranged marriage with Neeraj in 2010, she was a school teacher. Soon after the marriage, the couple moved to Srinagar as he was posted there. Later, he was transferred to Alwar, Rajasthan. Their son, Rudransh, was born there in 2013.

Neeraj was a family man. He used to tell Sushmita to be ready for any eventuality in life. But she understood the real meaning of his words only after he died. They spoke for the last time on March 15, 2016—two days before his death.

Neeraj was just 32 when he died. He was then with an Assam Rifles unit deployed in Arunachal Pradesh. The militancy-affected areas of the state were the responsibility of his unit. Neeraj’s convoy was hit by a landslide at Cipra. He was fatally injured and soon died.

Sushmita was in Bhopal then. Neeraj’s commanding officer and his wife broke the news to her. She could not believe it initially. She did not even cry. But she reluctantly accepted the truth and did not want Neeraj’s sacrifice to go in vain.

So, at 31, Sushmita decided to join the Army. Her parents had their doubts; they pointed out that it would not be easy for her to care for Rudransh in an Army job. However, they gave her their full support once they saw her determination.

“She wanted to relive her husband,” says her younger brother, Shashank Tripathi. “It was certainly not an easy decision, but we gave her all the support in her journey.” Moreover, Sushmita never wanted to be seen as a weak mother. She wanted her son to learn about his father’s bravery through her.

Sushmita with husband, Major Neeraj Pandey.

Six months after Neeraj’s death, Sushmita appeared before the Services Selection Board (SSB). Before her SSB exams, she stayed at her brother’s home in Delhi and took training. In 2017, she joined the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai.

Physical training in OTA was tough in the initial phase, but she was determined to see it through. Sushmita was an athlete in school, but she had put on weight after delivery. During her training days, she shed almost 20kg. “Her trainers in the academy told us that she was at par with other cadets who were much younger,” said Tripathi.

In the first six months of training, she could barely speak to Rudransh, but she used to write letters to him almost every day. He stayed with her parents in an Army accommodation in Delhi. In the latter part of her training, she managed to speak to him regularly over the phone.

The OTA training completely changed her shy and introverted nature. She is proud of her achievement, though she still carries the pain of Neeraj’s absence. His colleagues and the Army community gave her all support, she says.

Sushmita is today a captain, and is posted at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (Mhow) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Rudransh, 9, studies at the Army Public School, Mhow. She hopes her son will also follow his father’s steps and join the Army.

The article is based on conversation with the officer's family and friends.