A total of 687 cadets were inducted into the Indian Army as officers on Saturday after a passing-out parade at the prestigious Indian Military Academy in Dehradun.

The Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan reviewed the parade which was held on Drill Square in front of the historic Chetwood building amidst tight security.

71 Foreign Gentleman Cadets also graduated from the academy, with 44 cadets from Afghanistan, 12 cadets from Tajikistan and 4 from Bhutan.

With 616 cadets commissioned as officers into the Indian Army, Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with the most cadets passing out (100 cadets), while Haryana stood second with 64 cadets, Uttarakhand third with 60 and Bihar fourth with 51.

Admiral Dhowan congratulated the new officers and said the officers have been fortunate to be trained at the academy known for its high standards of training and it is time to utilise what they have learnt here for the service of the nation.

The coveted Sword of Honour was awarded to Ishan Singhal who was adjudged as the Best All-Round Cadet during the training. Ajay Kumar Pathak won the gold medal while Ashish Kapoor, Anshuman S Bisht and Ali Sharif bagged silver medals.