BHUBANESWAR: Major Mitali Madhumita has done Orissa proud by becoming the first woman officer of the Indian Army from the State to have been awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry. General Officer CommandinginChief (GOCinC), SouthWestern Command, Lt General S K Singh, conferred the medal on Major Mitali in the investiture ceremony held at Hisar Cantonment on Friday.
Mitali, an officer of the Army Education Corp (AEC) and who belongs to Bhubaneswar, had shown exemplary valour during the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul by terrorists on February 26 last year. She was serving under the United Nations Mission in the wartorn country.
Though she was not engaged in direct combat operations as she was involved in teaching activities initiated by the Mission in Kabul, she rose to the occasion and plunged into the midst of action. Without even caring about the dangers to her life, she engaged herself in rescue operations and saved many lives. She was instrumental in saving the lives of many persons buried under the debris following the attack. As many as 19 people, including seven Indians, had died in the terrorist strike.