Three newly commissioned officers from this region have bagged top honours in their respective streams on passing out from the Air Force Academy, Dundigal, on Saturday.

Flying Officer Lalit Gautam, who was awarded the President’s Plaque for standing first in the overall merit in the Navigation Branch and Flying Officer Nandni Sorout topped in the Education Branch, are both from Palwal (Haryana), while Flying Officer Manvi, who stood first in the Accounts Branch hails from Shimla.

Gautam was part of the 213th Course at the AFA, is a second-generation soldier and an NCC ‘C’ Certificate holder from the Army Wing’s 8th Punjab Battalion. Before opting for the IAF, he was working as a systems engineer with Infosys Private Limited.

Nandni is a national-level athlete and the daughter of an NIS qualified coach of the IAF. Flying Officer Manvi is the daughter of an Income Tax Inspector and, though a native of Shimla, studied in Delhi. Both received the Chief of Air Staff Trophy.