An Indian Army captain’s “romantic” proposal to his fiancée at the Nashik passing-out parade has displeased the top brass, who termed the act “inappropriate in timing, place and tradition” and a violation of “military decorum and protocol in uniform”, sources in the army headquarters in Delhi said on Wednesday.
Dressed in his ceremonial military uniform, Captain Bharat Bhardwaj, the newly commissioned pilot, walked onto the tarmac, knelt before his partner and proposed with an engagement ring against the backdrop of army helicopters.
The visibly surprised and elated woman accepted the proposal and hugged him as fellow officers, family members, instructors and guests clapped and cheered at the Combat Army Aviation Training School (CAATS) passing out parade on Tuesday. Some fellow officers were seen recording the proposal on mobile phones and clapping. Others went up to the couple and shook hands with them. Later, the captain and his partner posed for a photo.
The video went viral on social media, with users calling it a “wholesome moment” and an instance of “love taking flight”.
“The top brass are livid with the captain’s love proposal at an official army function, and it is being viewed as a breach of established military ethos and protocols. The official function is not a platform for private celebrations and making such romantic proposals,” said an army official.
“The displeasure of the top brass has been conveyed to the captain’s commanding officer. Everyone must maintain the sanctity of the official function,” he said.
The captain proposed after completing his flight training at the CAATS in Nashik, shortly after the passing-out parade. “The highly disciplined military institutes and ceremonial parades are not appropriate platforms for private celebrations. We expect everyone to maintain the dignity and decorum of the force and its established protocols,” a defence ministry official said.
Captain Bhardwaj said he “wanted to make this day memorable”, given that everyone enrolled at CAATS had become pilots or instructors. “It was a big day for all of us. Our hard work yielded fruit today,” he said, adding that it was a “big day” for his family, too.
Bhardwaj said he had known his partner for five years. “I don’t think that there is any better day than this to propose marriage to her. I wanted to make this day memorable for my fiancée too,” he told ANI on Tuesday.