President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday reviewed the passing-out parade of the 158th Regular Course and the 141st Technical Graduate Course at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, marking a historic milestone with the commissioning of the first-ever batch of nine women officer cadets into the Indian Army.
The ceremony was attended by Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd), Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Army Training Command GOC-in-C Lt Gen Devendra Sharma, IMA Commandant Lt Gen Nagendra Singh, senior military officers and the families of the cadets.
A total of 515 officer cadets were commissioned into the Indian Army following the parade, including the nine women officer cadets. The graduating cohort also included 34 officer cadets from 16 friendly foreign countries, who will join their respective armed forces.
Officials said the commissioning of women officer cadets marks a landmark moment in the history of the IMA, which has trained generations of male Army officers since its establishment in 1932.
Several cadets were honoured for outstanding performance during the ceremony. Academy Cadet Adjutant Vishal Kumar was awarded the Sword of Honour and the gold medal for standing first in the regular course.
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Academy Under Officer Prince Raj received the silver medal, while Senior Under Officer Tejas Bhatt secured the bronze medal.
Among other courses, Officer Cadet Hrishabh Mishra topped the Technical Graduate Course and received the silver medal. Officer Cadet Bodh Raj Thapa topped the SCO course, while Officer Cadet Karan Pandey stood first in the TES course.
Junior Under Officer Zaif Sadid Alvy was awarded the Best Foreign Officer Cadet trophy.
Addressing the cadets, President Murmu congratulated them for completing one of the country’s most rigorous training programmes and said their courage and wisdom would guide them in service.
She described the induction of nine women cadets as a “watershed moment” in the history of the academy, calling it a significant milestone for the armed forces and a reflection of India’s progress towards women-led development.
The President also congratulated the foreign cadets, noting that their countries had entrusted India with their training. She expressed confidence that they would uphold the values learned at the academy and strengthen global defence cooperation.
Murmu urged the young officers to remain adaptive and future-ready in the face of evolving security challenges, and to serve as ethical lead
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