Major’s wife completes training, set to join Army two years after his death

Kanika Kaustubh Rane

Over two years after Major Kaustubh Rane (29) was killed in Kashmir, his wife, Kanika Kaustubh Rane, completed her training at the Indian Army’s Officers Training Academy in Chennai, and will now be joining the Indian Army.

Rane, whose family lived on Mira Road, was killed in August 2018 with three other Indian soldiers — rifleman Hameer Singh (28), rifleman Mandeep Singh (26), both from Uttarakhand, and Vikramjeet Singh (25) from Haryana. They died in an attempt to foil an infiltration bid near the Line of Control near Gurez Sector in Bandipora district, about 125 km from Srinagar.

In a video shared by the Defence PRO Mumbai on Saturday, Lieutenant Kanika Rane said, “I would not say it was an easy choice…But I knew that had our places been switched, he would have also done the same for me. I am here to fulfill his objectives and the dreams he has left behind by being in his place.”

Major Kaustubh Rane, who was earlier in Garhwal Rifles, was moved to 36 Rashtriya Rifles, and had completed six years of service in Army. He is survived by his parents, his wife Kanika and their young son Agastya. At an investiture ceremony held earlier this year in Udhampur, Kanika had collected a gallantry award on behalf of her husband.

Training, Kanika Rane said, required more mental strength than physical endurance. “If you have mental strength and stamina, you can overcome anything. I had never even run 100 metres before coming here, and now I am running 40 km…” she said.
Two hundred and thirty officer cadets — 181 men and 49 women — passed out from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai on Saturday.