Mitali Madhumita is a serving Indian Army officer. In 2010, he received the Sena Medal for bravery when he was deployed in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Wiki/Biography
Mitali Madhumita was born in 1976 (age 46 years; in 2022) in Rourkela, Odisha. Mitali Madhumita completed her 11th standard from SG Women’s College in Rourkela in 1992. In 1993, she passed her 12th standard from Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar College with the subjects of physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology. In 1996, Mitali Madhumita obtained a bachelor’s degree in Arts (Hons English) from the same college. From 1996 to 1998, he pursued an MA in English Linguistics and Literature (British and Commonwealth) at Ravenshaw College, Utkal University. After completing her formal education, Mitali Madhumita appeared for the all-India Combined Defense Services Examination (CDSE), and after completing the examination, in 1999, she joined the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai. From 2006 to 2008, while serving in the Indian Army, he pursued a post-graduate diploma course in Human Rights from the Indian Institute of Human Rights.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 4″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Family
Mitali Madhumita belongs to an Odia family.
Parents & Siblings
His mother, Anjali Dass, is a retired Economics lecturer. Mitali Madhumita is the eldest among her three sisters.
Wife & Children
Her marital status is unknown.
Career
Corporate
From 1996 to 1998, Mitali Madhumita worked as a teacher at Kalinga Academy, where she taught English to those aspiring to join the defense services as officers. In 1988, he worked as a manager in a real estate company called Versatile Construction Pvt. Ltd.
Army
After completing his training from OTA, in 2000, he was commissioned in the Army Education Corps (AEC) as a Lieutenant. In 2004, he was posted to the Defense Service Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington as an Instructor, where he taught English to officers from non-English speaking friendly countries. In 2007, Mitali Madhumita was given a staff appointment, and she was posted in the Ministry of Defense (MoD). He served in the Ministry of Defense until the end of 2008. In 2009, Mitali Madhumita was selected by the Indian Army to lead a team under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MoFA) in Kabul, Afghanistan. There, he served as an Instructor at the Afghan Ministry of Defense and taught English to non-English speaking Afghan National Army (ANA) officers. In 2010, he was awarded a gallantry award for his actions when the Indian embassy in Afghanistan was attacked by some heavily armed terrorists. In 2013, Mitali Madhumita was posted at the Central Command of the Indian Army in Lucknow. After her posting in Lucknow, Mitali Madhumita was posted as principal at Sainik School Ambikapur, Chattisgarh.
Colonel Mitali Madhumita took over as principal of Sainik School, Ambikapur
Controversy
The decision of the Supreme Court on its standing commission
Officers commissioned in the Indian Army from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) are given short service commissions, and after completing a few years of service they are offered an opportunity to convert their short service commissions to permanent commissions. In 2009, before being sent to Afghanistan as an instructor, Mitali Madhumita turned down an offer for a permanent commission in the Indian Army due to marital and other problems at home. In 2010, after receiving a bravery award for her bravery, Mitali changed her mind and decided to opt for a permanent commission. However, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) rejected his application and denied him a permanent commission. In 2014, Mitali Madhumita appealed the MoD’s decision at the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT). The AFT, in 2015, gave its verdict in Mitali’s favor and asked the MoD to reinstate and grant the officer a permanent commission. However, in 2015, the MoD appealed against the AFT’s decision in the Supreme Court, stating that “granting him a permanent commission would interfere with the management of MoD cadres and would affect the policy relating to the granting of permanent commissions to short-service commissioned officers. ” A senior Indian Army officer, then serving with the Ministry of Defence, said in an interview,
The board that decides whether Short Service Commission (SSC) officers can be granted PC has already met. It is completely irrelevant whether and how Lt Col Mitali Madhunita saved so many lives in Afghanistan, or what awards he received.”
In 2016, the Supreme Court rejected the MoD’s appeal and asked the MoD to comply with the AFT directive. Supreme Court also asked MoD not to retire Mitali; as she is scheduled to retire in 2015. The court also asked the Indian Army to allow Mitali Madhumita to continue her service. The Supreme Court in its judgment said,
Clearly, misogyny reigns in the national defense forces. If Indian army is supposed to protect the country from enemies, it can’t treat it so badly for the sake of damned bureaucracy, maybe it should look inward. Lt Col Madhumita’s case has been championed by the army secretary (law branch) for the past few years, even as his case has been recommended by the entire chain of command, including the Commander of the South West Command, Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni.
Mitali Madhumita after getting fixed commission
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- While serving in the National Cadet Corps (NCC), Mitali Madhumita won a gold medal in the all India Aero Model competition.
- In 2011, for her exemplary service, Mitali Madhumita was awarded the Commanding General Officer (GOC-in-C) commendation card.
Sena Medal
On February 26, 2010, when Mitali Madhumita was assigned as an instructor in Kabul, several armed terrorists attacked the Indian embassy, where Mitali and her team were stationed. Soon after the attack, Mitali rushed out of her guest house and ran to the embassy, which was two kilometers from the guest house. When he got to the embassy, he found that the building was badly damaged and there were many people trapped under the rubble. Without thinking about her safety, Mitali, by herself, managed to evacuate nineteen people to safety, including seven civilians. He also organized the rapid evacuation of the wounded and stayed in the embassy amid heavy fire until everyone was evacuated. For her bravery, Mitali was recommended by the Indian Army for the Sena Medal (Gallantry), which she received in August 2010. Narrating the incident, Mitali, in an interview, said,
There was crossfire all around me and militants were throwing Chinese incendiary grenades. I couldn’t see the militants but they were hiding somewhere around me. I searched through the wreckage and soon began to pull out bodies and the seriously injured. The embassy was bombed by Haqqani network extremists and the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group, US intelligence would later learn, that they were sent by Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, to target Indians living in Afghanistan.
Colonel Mitali Madhumita Sena Medal Excerpt
Note: Some sources claim Mitali Madhumita to be the first female officer of the Indian Armed Forces to receive the gallantry award. However, she is the second female officer to receive the gallantry medal as the first female officer to receive the Sena Medal (SM) for gallantry was Captain (Dr) CR Leena Dadhwal. He received the Sena Medal for bravery in 1995.
Salary
As a colonel, Mitali Madhumita gets a salary of Rs 1,30,600 + other allowances (till August 2022).
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, Mitali’s mother Madhumita claimed that she wanted her daughter to become a lecturer like her and take a job at a university. He further said,
I want him to be a lecturer and he is at the core of education, but his courage saved many lives. I am very proud of him.”
- Mitali Madhumita, as an Indian Army officer, has done many military courses like Advanced Graphic Information Course (A-GIC), ADP (SAP), and Computers from Army Training College and Education Corps Centre.
- In July 2022, it was announced by Sony TV that Mitali Madhumita will make an appearance in a special Independence day episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) along with Kargil War veteran Major DP Singh.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
