372 cadets, including 29 from 12 friendly nations, pass out of IMA

A total of 372 gentlemen cadets, including 29 from 12 friendly countries, passed out of the Indian Military Academy here on Saturday to be commissioned as officers into the armies of their respective countries.

Addressing the passing out parade as the reviewing officer, Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka Gen Shavendra Silva congratulated them on the successful completion of their rigorous training and wished them the best of luck for all their future endeavours.

Gen Silva said the immaculate parade reflected their high level of training and he was confident that the passing out gentlemen cadets will serve their motherlands with commitment, loyalty and valour.

The coveted Sword of Honour and the Gold medal went to Battalion Under Officer Gaurav Rawat, the silver medal to Battalion Under Officer Saurabh Badhani and the bronze to battalion under officer Alok Singh.

With Saturday's POP, the Indian Army has got 343 new officers.

The 29 passing out gentlemen cadets from 12 friendly nations include nine from Bhutan, four each from Sri Lanka and Maldives, three from Mauritius, two from Nepal and one each from Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Uttar Pradesh had the highest representation in the course with 68 gentlemen cadets followed by Uttarakhand (42), Rajasthan (34), Maharashtra (28), Bihar (27), Haryana (22), Punjab (20), Himachal Pradesh (14), Jammu-Kashmir (10), Kerala (9), West Bengal (9), Madhya Pradesh (7), Jharkhand (5), Odisha (5), Andhra Pradesh (4), Tamil Nadu (4), Delhi (2), Gujarat (2), Chandigarh (2), Arunachal Pradesh (1), Assam (1), Manipur (1), Meghalaya (1) and Telangana (1).