Army chief felicitates BSF officer Neha Bhandari in Jammu for exceptional courage during Op Sindoor

Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi has awarded a BSF woman officer and praised the paramilitary force and ex-servicemen for their role during Operation Sindoor, the Army said on Saturday.

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The chief of Army Staff (COAS) reached Jammu on a two-day visit on Thursday and attended the high-level security review meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.

"General Dwivedi reviewed operational preparedness in Jammu and Kashmir's Paragwal sector and visited the Tiger Division where he commended troops for their outstanding performance in Operation Sindoor.

"He stressed the importance of staying agile and vigilant in response to evolving security dynamics," the additional directorate general of public information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army wrote on X on Saturday.

It said the COAS also praised the BSF's close operational integration with the Army and lauded the bravery of Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari and her team for defending the forward posts in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu.

"He also acknowledged the valuable contribution of ex-servicemen in supporting the armed forces during operation Sindoor," the Army said, sharing several pictures of Gen Dwivedi's visit.

Before returning to Delhi on Friday, the Army chief awarded BSF Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari with the Commendation Disc for her exceptional courage and operational proficiency during Operation Sindoor in the Jammu frontier.

Commanding a border outpost within eyeball-to-eyeball contact of a Pakistani post along the International Border, the assistant commandant led her troops to silence three forward hostile posts across the zero line (the area closest to enemy territory) by giving a befitting reply.

"On 30 May 2025, COAS General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM, felicitated Assistant Commandant Neha Bhandari of BSF Jammu with the Commendation Disc for her exceptional courage and operational proficiency during Operation Sindoor," BSF Jammu had said in a post on X.

She gallantly commanded a forward-deployed BSF company under challenging conditions, it said.

Apart from Neha, six women constables held gun positions at a forward border post, with their "josh" rising with every bullet they fired at the enemy positions across the International Border in the Samba, RS Pura and Akhnoor sectors.

Apart from Neha, six women constables held a gun position on a forward border post, with their 'josh' rising with every bullet they fired at enemy positions across the IB in Samba-R S Pura-Akhnoor sectors.

Neha, a third-generation officer from her family in Uttarakhand, takes pride in being part of the BSF and commanding a border outpost in the Pargwal forward area of the Akhnoor sector in the Jammu district during Operation Sindoor.

"I feel proud to be manning a post along the International Border with my troops. It is approximately 150 meters away from the Pakistani post in the Akhnoor–Pargwal area," she said.

Neha's grandfather served in the Indian Army and her parents are from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), making her a third-generation officer in the family.

"My grandfather served in the Army. My father was in the CRPF. My mother is in the CRPF. I am a third-generation officer in the force," she said.