Ranjana Malik, wife of former Army chief General V.P. Malik, still remembers that day in early 1998. Two young war widows walked into her office at the Army Wives Welfare Association in Delhi. “I do not want to live my entire life on my husband’s pension. I would rather wear his uniform,” 27-year-old Ravinder Jeet Randhawa told Ranjana. Ravinder was the widow of Major Sukhwinder Jeet Singh Randhawa, killed in action while leading a counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir in 1997. She was accompanied by 25-year-old Sabina Singh; her husband, a helicopter pilot, had died in a crash in the northeast.
“The two young widows were told that they would get their husband’s full pay as pension for life. But they did not want that, they wanted to do something for the Army for which their husbands gave their life,” said Ranjana. “I was stunned to see their determination.”
Since there was no provision to induct them into the Army as war widows, and as they faced problems regarding age and marital status, Ranjana requested General Malik, who then headed the Army, to intervene, and he took up the case with the defence ministry.
After a few days, permission came through for them to appear before the Services Selection Board (SSB). Ranjana made it clear to Ravinder and Sabina that once they became officers, they would not be given any special concessions or preferential postings, even to take care of their young children. “They told me that they wanted to be like regular officers. Both took the examination and joined the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai,” said Ranjana.
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