Kanika Rane Wife Of Martyred Major Opts To Don Army Uniform

A year after Major Kaustubh Rane was martyred in an encounter on the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir's Gurez sector of Bandipora district, his wife Kanika Rane has now decided to join the Indian Armed Forces. In a way of extending his legacy, his 29 years old wife, Kanika recently cleared the Service Selection Board exam with merit and is all set to embark on her 49-week-long training journey at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in October.

“Kaustubh used to say that if life pushes you down, you always have the harness to pull yourself back,” Kanika told Mirror Now. Rane is survived by his wife and a three-month-old son, Agastya Rane. Mumbai-based Kanika worked as a project manager at a corporate firm until a few months ago. She now wants to make choices that will inspire other women in the country.

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She also said that the wife of a martyr is called a 'veer nari' because she has to gather the courage to deal with a tragedy. Kanika recounted that her husband was very lively and had a jovial nature and could never see her cry. By joining the armed forces, she says that she is only fulfilling his dream and that she wants her son to grow up in an army environment, Zee News reported.

Kanika Rane at Salute To Indian Army Rally (pic by Facebook/Fletcher Baptista)

On August 7, 2018, Kaustubh led a team of army men which laid a siege in Gurez area of North Kashmir during the night but terrorists, who had positioned themselves along the LoC, opened fire. While the 'Kohinoor' of the Army's 36 Rashtriya Rifles unit of which Kaustubh was a part of, succeeded in foiling the infiltration bid and gunned down two of the eight infiltrators. He along with three other army men were martyred in the operation.

He was the only son to his parents and had completed his military training from Pune and was commissioned as an officer from the elite Officers Training Academy, Chennai, in 2011. He was decorated with the Sena Gallantry Medal by President Ram Nath Kovind on the 69th Republic Day celebrations in 2018.

On Independence Day, Kanika became the guest of honour at a bike rally organised in Mumbai titled ‘Salute To Indian Army’ in Mumbai. She was seen encouraging the enthusiastic bikers at the rally and giving away the certificates on completion of the rally.

Picture credit: Facebook/Defence Direct Education