Major General Jasbir Singh Sandhu, AVSM (Retired), took over as the Second Director of the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (AFPI), Mohali on Wednesday, 9th November, 2022. The founding Director of the Institute was Major General IP Singh, VSM whose terms of engagement finished recently.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Major General JS Sandhu has during his 36 years of service in the Indian Army, held prestigious command, staff and instructional assignments, including command of a Rashtriya Rifles Battalion and an Infantry Brigade in Jammu and Kashmir, a Sub Area in Chhattisgarh and an Infantry Division in Punjab. As Brigadier General Staff at Officers Training Academy Chennai, he provided extensive value addition to the curriculum of the cadets including ladies. Prior to his retirement in January 2022, he was also the Additional Director General NCC for the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh. He has also been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India, for distinguished service.

Ex Dy President & IO 20 SSB, Additional IO Selection Centre East, Allahabad and Trial Officer De Novo Selection System, DIPR, New Delhi.

Col Rakesh Kumar Chopra (Retd), an alumnus of NDA, Khadakwasla, was commissioned into Corps of Signals in Dec 1982 and has got 36+ years of service in Indian army.

He was trained as an Interviewing Officer (IO) by Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR), New Delhi and served as Dy President 20 SSB, Bhopal, Additional IO Selection Centre East, Allahabad and Trial Officer De Novo Selection System, DIPR, New Delhi. He is an MTech (IIT, Madras) and MBA (Punjab University) and has got rich experience of teaching telecommunication subjects at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow.

Col Rakesh Kumar Chopra has joined Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls and appointed Interview Officer w.e.f. 03 Jul 2020.

Lt. Col Harmeet Singh Samra, SC, An Indian Army Veteran, who has served for 24 years before taking pre-mature retirement in year 2024. An alumnus of Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, the officer was commissioned into The RAJPUT Regiment. He has served in counter-terrorist operations as company commander in Rashtriya Rifles Battalion, where he was awarded “SHAURYA CHAKRA”, third highest peacetime gallantry award by the President of India.

The officer has also served as Military Observer in United Nations Peacekeeping Force at Democratic Republic of Congo, and as an Instructor at the Infantry School, Mhow.

A qualified and experienced Assessor, he is a GTO, a Group Testing Officer having assessed almost 2000 applicants for officer selection at SSB, Allahabad. Before taking retirement, the officer was Instructor at Defence Institute of Psychological Research, a DRDO institute at Delhi, mentoring the armed forces officers to become prospective assessors.

Currently, the officer is working as Assessor and Officer-in-Charge of NDA Preparatory Wing at the Mai Bhago AFPI, Mohali, responsible for nurturing the girls to become future officers of the Indian Armed Forces.

Commander P. Priyambada Sahoo (Retd.), an alumna of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, was commissioned into the Education Branch of the Indian Navy in 2011 and has rendered 14 years of distinguished service to the nation.

An accomplished instructor and mentor, she served for eight years at the Indian Naval Academy, where she taught Electronics and Communication Engineering to B.Tech, MSc, and orientation course trainees, while also guiding academic projects and research work. A B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, she further holds an M.Tech from NITK Surathkal and a Defence Management qualification from FMS, Delhi University. She was entrusted with the sole responsibility for the mentorship and welfare of all women officer trainees at INA, providing counselling, personality development, communication skills training, and supervising sports, swimming, and co-curricular activities. 

In her subsequent tenure at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi, she played a key role in national-level policy formulation in cybersecurity and information warfare. She brings extensive experience in administration, logistics, procurement, security management, event coordination, and public relations across major naval establishments.

Her service is distinguished by prestigious national honours, including leading the ‘Nari Shakti’ Naval Contingent at the Republic Day Parade in 2013 and the exceptional privilege of unfurling the national flag alongside Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Red Fort on Independence Day 2021.

Currently, the officer is appointed as OIC Graduate Wing at Mai Bhago AFPI.