CHENNAI: The Parameshwaran Drill Square of the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in the city witnessed 258 Officer Cadets and 39 Women Officer Cadets meritoriously participating in the ‘Passing Out Parade’ and were commissioned into various services of the Indian Army on Saturday.

The Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, reviewed the parade.

Among them were ten Officer Cadets and five Women Officer Cadets from foreign countries who completed their training at the OTA. The parade marked the culmination of almost a year-long rigorous training for the cadets and presented several success stories of individuals who battled the challenges to join the training.

The officer cadets belonged to the 118th batch of the Short Service Commission Course and, the 32nd batch of the Women Short Service Commission Course and other equivalent courses in the institute. The ‘Passing Out Parade’ was a testimony to the results of the intense commitment of the cadets. The drill square swelled with the pride of the parents and instructors of the cadets and OTA administrative staff as the batch marched.

Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani presented the Sword of Honour to the Battalion Under Officer (BUO) Samrath Singh, the OTA Gold Medal to BUO Simran Singh Rathi, the Silver Medal to Academy Under Officer Tanishka Damodran and the Bronze Medal to Academy Cadet Adjutant Devesh Chandra Joshi.

In his address, the Vice Chief of Army Staff lauded the Officer Cadets and the OTA staff for their exemplary achievements, urging the newly commissioned officers to uphold the cardinal military values of ‘Selfless Service to the Nation’ and the steadfast pursuit of excellence in all endeavours.

Following the parade, the Pipping Ceremony was held on the campus. In their new capacity as the commissioned Army Officers, the Cadet Officers pledged their allegiance to the Constitution of India and committed to safeguarding the nation at all costs.