Captain's Marriage Proposal After Nashik Passing-Out Parade Goes Viral Army Takes Cognisance

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A newly commissioned Army pilot proposed to his partner after the passing-out parade at the Combat Army Aviation Training School near Nashik in Maharashtra on Tuesday. The video of the surprise proposal went viral on social media and was deemed the“best thing on the Internet” until a debate on Indian Army protocols broke out.

In the viral proposal video, Captain Bharat Bhardwaj is seen getting down on one knee, with his partner hugging him as he stands.

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Dressed in his ceremonial military uniform, the newly-commissioned pilot walked onto the tarmac, knelt before his partner and proposed with an engagement ring, with an army helicopter providing a befitting backdrop.

She was visibly elated and accepted the ring which the young officer offered.

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Social media was flooded with congratulatory comments as netizens gushed over the cute couple. However, soon after, a social media user asked,“Is this even allowed? Can you film proposals in the Defence Training School and share them publicly?” This triggered a series of questions from netizens who slammed the viral video, saying,“Now Indian Army premises are being used for pre-wedding shoots. What's next?”

According to a Hindustan Times (HT) report, the army took cognisance of the matter following strong public reactions on social media and is likely to seek an explanation from the newly commissioned pilot.

While the social media presence of the proposal violates several Army protocols, the gesture is unlikely to cause any major trouble for the captain.

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An Army veteran, KJS Dhillon, however, defended Captain B against the criticism and said, "You want the young officer to sacrifice his life for the love of the Nation, but you don't want him to express his love for his fiancée."

"In the Army we say 'Youngster nahi karega, toh kaun karega'. If you can not find a fault in his professional capabilities, don't do this nuktachini for such a pure gesture of love and belonging," Dhillon wrote on X.

"Military equipment has been on display during many 'Know your Army' exhibitions around the country. The students and non military personnel have clicked pics with it showing pride and love for the Army. So, please don't bring in the national security angle into this," he said, while urging the netizens to "let the young soldier do his national duty with pride and honour.

'Wanted to make it memorable...'

Captain Bhardwaj told the media persons that he had known his partner for five years and wanted to make this day memorable for her.

“We have all become pilots, instructors today. It was a big day for all of us. Our hard work yielded fruit today," he said.“Both of us have known each other for the past five years. I don't think that there is any better day than this to propose marriage to her.”

He noted that his commissioning was a“big day for my family,” and therefore,“I wanted to make this day memorable for my fiancée too. That was the whole idea.”

The Combat Army Aviation Training School is the premier flying training institution of the Indian Army and functions under the Army Training Command.

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