Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, SC

Biography

Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal was born on December 18, 1987, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, to Shri O. P. Dhoundiyal and Smt. Saroj Dhoundiyal. He completed his schooling at St. Joseph's Academy, Dehradun, and graduated from DAV College, Dehradun. He was commissioned into The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) on September 18, 2011, from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai. He served with 17 Mahar in the Krishna Ghati sector, Poonch, J&K, before being posted to 55 Rashtriya Rifles for counter-insurgency operations. On February 18, 2019, Major Dhoundiyal led a Quick Reaction Team during an anti-terrorism operation in Pinglan village, Pulwama district. Despite sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and grenade blast injuries, he displayed conspicuous bravery by neutralizing a foreign terrorist — the individual responsible for the IED attack on security forces. He made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. He was married to Smt. Nitika Kaul on April 19, 2018, who later got commissioned in the Army Ordnance Corps in May 2021, inspired by his sacrifice. Major Dhoundiyal was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his exceptional courage and gallantry.