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| Captain Vikram Batra
(IC - 57556) 13 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles Param Vir Chakra (Posthumous) |
Capt Vikram Batra of the 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles led the Indian attack on Point 5140 in Dras sector. Code named Sher Shah for his unstinting courage, Capt Batra and Delta Company recaptured Point 5140 at 3.30 AM on June 20. On the said day, Capt Vikram insisted that he be allowed to lead the attack on Point 5140, along with the 13 JAK Rif battalion. He decided to lead the attack from the rear as an element of surprise would help stupefy the enemy. He and his men ascended the sheer rock-cliff. As the group neared the top of the cliff, the enemy that was lodged on the top of the cliff opened machine gun fire on them, pinning them on to the face of the bare rocky cliff. Capt Batra along with five of his men climbed on regardless and after reaching the top, he hurled two grenades at the machine gun. He single handedly engaged three soldiers of the enemy in close combat and killed them. He was seriously injured during this combat, but insisted on regrouping his men to continue with the given task at hand. He also led the attack on remaining defences till he finally succumbed to his injuries. Inspired by the extraordinary courage displayed
by this young officer, the soldiers of 13 JAK Rif charged the enemy position and captured
Pt 5140. His company is credited with killing atleast eight Pakistanis and recovering a
heavy machine gun. The capture of point 5140 set in motion a string of successes like
Point 5100, 4700, Junction Peak and Three Pimples. Captain Vikram Batra laid down his life
in the finest traditions of the Indian Army, and for his extraordinary grit and courage
has been awarded the Param Vir Chakra (Posthumously).
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| Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey (IC - 56959) |
Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey, an officer of 1/11 Gorkhas forced back the intruders from the Batalik sector on 11 Jun 1999. He led his men to recapture the Jubar Top, a feature of great operational importance. But his finest hour was in the capture of Khalubar. On the night of 2/3 June 1999 the Battalion's progress on to its final objective was halted by a determined enemy firmly entrenched on commanding heights. Clearing it was critical as the Battalion faced the prospect of being daylighted in a vulnerable area. Lieutenant Pandey stepped forward to take on the mission. Quickly sizing up the situation, the young officer led his platoon along a narrow, treacherous ridge that led to the enemy position. While still short of the objective, the enemy fired upon the Indian soldiers effectively stalling the Indian attack. Displaying great valiancy and courage, this young officer surged ahead of his troops and charged at the enemy with a fullthroated battle cry through a hail of bullets. Wounded in the shoulder and leg, he pressed on his solitary charge with grim determination till he closed in on the first bunker. In ferocious hand to hand combat, he killed two of the enemy and cleared the first bunker. It was the turning point. Inspired by their leader's spontaneous valour, the troops charged at the enemy and fell upon them. Unmindful of his grievous wounds the officer rushed from bunker to bunker urging his men on. Critically bleeding, he collapsed at the final bunker and finally succumbed to his injuries but not before the last of the enemy had been annihilated. For this display of the most conspicuous and extraordinary valour and junior leadership of the highest order, in the face of the enemy, Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey has been awarded Param Vir Chakra (Posthumously).
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| Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav (2690572) |
Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav was part of the Ghatak Platoon that captured three Bunkers on Tiger Hill Top on the night of 03-04 July 1999. The approach was a vertical cliff face, snowbound at 16,500 feet. Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav, volunteering to lead the assault, was climbing the cliff face and fixing the ropes for further assault on the feature. On reaching half way up, an enemy bunker opened up machine gun and rocket fire. His Platoon Commander and two others fell to the heavy volume of automatic fire. Realising the enormity of the situation, he continued to scale the sheer cliff face alone through a volley of fire. Inspite of having been hit by three bullets in his groin and shoulder, displaying superhuman strength and resolve, he climbed the remaining 60 feet, all by himself and reached the top. With rare grit and courage, he crawled up to the bunker critically injured and lobbed a grenade killing four Pakistani soldiers and neutralising enemy fire. This act was directly instrumental in facilitating the rest of the Platoon in climbing up the cliff face. Grievously injured, but with reckless disregard to personal safety, Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav now charged on to the second bunker and neutralised it with two of his colleagues in an extremely fierce hand to hand combat, killing three Pakistani soldiers. This extraordinarily gallant act motivated the rest of the Platoon which quickly traversed the treacherous terrain and braving hostile fire, charged onto the enemy to capture Tiger Hill Top, a vital objective. Throughout this operation, from scaling the sheer vertical cliff face by rope for destruction of two Pakistani bunkers in succession, Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav displayed indomitable spirit, determination and action beyond the call of the duty. For displaying the most conspicuous courage and spirit of self-sacrifice, Grenadier Yogender Yadav has been awarded Param Vir Chakra.
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| Rifleman Sanjay Kumar (13760533) |
Rifleman Sanjay Kumar had volunteered to be the leading scout of the special mission group tasked to capture Area Flat Top on 04 Jul 99. Having scaled the cliff face, the complete platoon column was pinned down on a narrow ledge by the automatic fire of an enemy machine gun in a bunker 150 meters away. Rifleman Sanjay Kumar realizing the magnitude of the problem and the detrimental effect this bunker would have in the capture of Area Flat, displayed extraordinary courage. Without concern for personal safety, he crawled alone up the ledge, along a flank, and charged towards the enemy bunker, through a hail of automatic fire. Almost instantly he took two bullets in his chest and forearm. Bleeding profusely from the bullet wounds, he continued the charge towards the bunker. Unhesitant, he then picked up the enemy Machine Gun and crept towards the second enemy bunker. Three enemy soldiers, taken completely by surprise were killed by Rifleman Sanjay Kumar on the spot. Inspired by his dare devil act the rest of the platoon, emotionally charged, assaulted the feature and captured Area Flat Top. For this display of the most conspicuous and extraordinary gallantry with complete disregard to personal safety, in the face of the enemy. Rifleman Sanjay Kumar has been awarded Param Vir Chakra.
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Maj Sonam
Wangchuk (IC- 45952M) |
While moving towards the Line of Control, the enemy ambushed the column by firing from a vantage position. In the process one NCO of the Ladakh Scouts was killed. Major Sonam Wangchuk held his column together and led a raid on the enemy position from a flank, supported by artillery fire, killing two enemy personnel. The officer also recovered one HMG, one UMG, ammunition, controlled stores as well as three dead bodies of the enemy personnel. Thereafter, the officer took stock of all forces in Chorbatla axis in the Batalik sector and cleared the axis upto the Line of Control of all enemy intrusions at a great risk to his life.
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| Maj Vivek Gupta (IC-51512K) 2 Rajputana Rifles Maha Vir Chakra (Posthumous) |
Inspite of heavy artillery and automatic fire, the company under the leadership of Major Vivek Gupta was able to close in to the enemy. As soon as the company emerged in the open they came under intense multidirectional fire. Three persons of the leading section of the company were hit and the attack was stalled temporarily. Knowing fully well that staying any longer in the open under enemy fire would lead to more losses, Major Vivek Gupta reacted immediately and fired a rocket launcher at the enemy bunker. Before the shocked enemy could recover, Major Vivek Gupta charged on to the enemy bunker. While charging he was hit by two bullets despite which he kept moving towards the bunker. On reaching the bunker he engaged the enemy in fierce hand to hand combat and managed to kill three enemy soldiers despite his own injuries. Taking inspiration by the gallant deed of the officer, the rest of the company charged onto the bunker and captured it. However, in the ensuing combat Major Vivek Gupta received another direct hit and finally succumbed to his injuries.Maj Gupta and six others from his team captured the Pt 4950 peak at Tololing before they were killed in fierce combat. The six other soldiers of his team who laid down their lives were Hav Yashvir Singh, Sub Sumer Singh, Sub Bhanwar Lal, Hav Sultan Singh, Naik Surender Singh, Lance Naik Bacchan Singh and Signalman Vinod Kumar.
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| Maj Rajesh
Singh Adhikari, (IC-52574F) |
While Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari was leading his team towards the objective, he was fired at from two mutually supporting bunkers with Universal Machine Guns. The officer immediately directed the rocket launcher detachment to engage the bunker and without waiting, rushed into the bunker and killed two intruders in close quarter combat. Thereafter, the officer, displaying presence of mind under heavy fire, ordered his Medium Machine Gun detachment to fix position behind a rocky feature and engage the enemy. The assault party continued to inch their way up. Despite suffering grievous bullet injuries, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari continued to direct his sub unit. Refusing to be evacuated, the officer charged at the second bunker and killed one more occupant, thus capturing the second bunker at Tololing which later facilitated capture of point 4590. The officer, however, later succumbed to his injuries.
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Major Padmapani Acharya (IC-55072K) |
Success of the Battalion and Brigade operation hinged on the early capture of the position. However the company attack almost faltered at the very beginning when the enemy's artillery fire came down squarely on the leading platoon, inflicting large numbers of casualties. With utter disregard to his personal safety, Major Padmapani Acharya took the reserve platoon and led it through raining artillery shells. Even as his men were falling to enemy fire, he continued to encourage his men and charged at the enemy with the reserve platoon up the steep rock face. Unmindful of the hail of bullets from the enemy's bunker, Major Padmapani Acharya crawled up to the bunker and lobbed grenades. Severely injured and unable to move, he ordered his men to leave him and charge at the enemy while he continued to fire. The bunker was finally over-run and the objective was captured. After completion of the mission, the officer succumbed to his injuries.
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| Captain Anuj
Nayyar (IC-57111W) 17 Jat Maha Vir Chakra (Posthumous) |
Captain Anuj Nayyar continued to command his leading platoon into the attack under heavy enemy artillery and mortar fire. As the platoon advanced, the leading section reported location of 3 to 4 enemy bunkers. Captain Anuj Nayyar moved forward towards the first bunker and fired the rocket launcher and lobbed grenades into it. Thereafter, the section alongwith Captain Anuj Nayyar physically assaulted and cleared the bunker. The enemy, which was well entrenched, brought heavy volume of automatic fire. Captain Anuj Nayyar, unmindful of his personal safety, motivated his men and cleared two more bunkers. While clearing the fourth bunker, an enemy RPG shell killed the officer on the spot. In this action, Captain Anuj Nayyar killed nine enemy soldiers and destroyed three Medium Machine Gun bunkers of the enemy. The success of this operation, after a brief setback, was largely due to the outstanding personal bravery and exemplary junior leadership of this daring officer. Captain Anuj Nayyar displayed indomitable resolve, grit and determination and motivated his command by personal example, acting beyond the call of duty.
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| Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse (IC-58396A) 2 Rajputana Rifles Maha Vir Chakra (Posthumous) |
Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse was the Ghatak Platoon Commander during the attack on Area Black Rock on the night of 28 June 1999. He volunteered to undertake a daring commando mission of attacking a well-sited enemy machine gun nest, on a cliff face, which was heavily interfering with all the approaches to the main objective of the Battalion. As the commando team scaled the cliff face, it came under intense mortar and automatic fire inflicting heavy casualties. The officer sustained a splinter injury in his abdomen. Bleeding profusely but undeterred, he urged his men to carry on. On reaching the final cliff face, the commando team was halted by a sheer rock wall that separated them from the enemy machine gun post. The officer took off his shoes to get a good grip and scaled the rock wall along with a rocket launcher and fired at the bunker. Unmindful of personal safety, the officer charged at the enemy bunker and personally killed two men with his rifle and another two with his commando knife in hand to hand combat before succumbing to his injury. By his dare devil act, Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse single handedly neutralised the enemy bunker, which held up the Battalion's progress.The names of the other soldiers of the same battalion who were killed in the same operation are Lance Naik Om Prakash, Rfn J. Singh, Naik Vikram Singh, Havaldar Sarwan Singh Senger, Naik Anand Singh of the 2 Rajputana Rifles, and Naik Mangat Singh, Rfn Vikram Singh, Rfn Man Singh, Lance Naik Surianam Singh, Rfn Dabal Singh, Havaldar Padam Singh, Naik Kashmir Singh, Naik Jagat Singh, Naik Bharat Singh, Rfn Ansuya Prasad, Rfn Kuldeep Singh and Lance Naik Keshan Singh of the 18 Garhwal Regiment.
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| Lieutenant Keishing
Clifford Nongrum (SS
37111P) 12 Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry Maha Vir Chakra (Posthumous) |
The enemy pinned the column of Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum down with heavy and accurate automatic fire for about two hours. On seeing the futility of own fire against the fortified bunkers, Lieutenant Keishing Nongrum with utter disregard to personal safety charged through the fire zone. Closing in with the first bunker he threw grenades into it and killed six enemy soldiers. He then tried to snatch the universal machine gun of the enemy from the bunker and received a volley of bullets. The audacious action of Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum stunned the enemy giving valuable reaction time to his troops to close in and finally clear the position. Though severely wounded, Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum refused to be evacuated and fought valiantly till he succumbed to his injuries. This act resulted in the ultimate capture of Point 4812.
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| Lieutenant Balwan Singh (SS - 37691P) 18 Grenadiers Maha Vir Chakra |
The officer, with just three months service, set about his task with single-minded determination. The team, led and exhorted by him, moved for over twelve hours under intense artillery shelling to reach the designated spur. This move took the enemy by complete surprise as his team used cliff assault mountaineering equipment to reach the top with stealth. On seeing the Ghataks, the enemy panicked and in desperation attempted to repulse the Ghataks. Though injured in the fight, Lieutenant Balwan Singh's resolve to finish the enemy remained unshaken. He refused to be evacuated and unmindful of his injury, moved swiftly to encircle the enemy and engaged them in close combat and single handedly killed four of the enemy. The remaining enemy personnel opted to flee rather than face the fury of the officer. The officer's inspirational leadership, conspicuous courage and bravery were instrumental in the capture of Tiger Hill, which was operationally one of the most important objectives in Dras Sector.
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| Naik Digendra Kumar (2883178A) 2 Rajputana Rifles Maha Vir Chakra |
On 13 June 1999, when the Assault Group was nearing its objective it came under effective enemy fire of a well-concealed universal machine gun and heavy machine gun leading to heavy casualties in the Assault Group. Naik Digendra Kumar was hit by a bullet in his left arm. Undaunted and unmindful of his own injury, Naik Digendra Kumar kept firing with one hand and brought down effective and accurate Light Machine Gun fire on the enemy. His accurate fire kept the enemy's head down while his own men advanced towards the objective. Finally, under his effective covering fire, own troops physically assaulted the enemy position and cleared it after a hand to hand fight. Despite being seriously wounded, it was due to his courageous action that the Assault Group could finally capture the objective. |
| Lt Col R Vishwanath (IC - 39584M) |
Six soldiers, including Lt Col Vishwanath, Lance Havaldar Samandar Singh Hooda & Lance Havaldar Ram Kumar were killed during the assault in Barbad. Every inch of land was savagely fought for & every meter claimed its share of blood.The assault began on the night of June 2. At 9.30 pm Indian artillery pounded Barbad. But the enemy was so well entrenched that the shelling seemed to have little effect. As Lt Col Vishwanath and his men moved towards the enemy they were met with a wall of bullets. The rocky terrain & chilly winds also made the going tougher.The enemy positioned themselves at points from where their machine guns commanded the slopes in front of them but Lt Col Vishwanath was not deterred till he fell to the enemy's bullet. The efforts of this brave soldier has got the Indian Army a few meters closer to the capture of this land.
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| Major M Sarvanan (SS - 36288) |
Major Mariappan Saravanan of the Bihar Regiment laid down his life in a hand to hand combat with Pakistani intruders in Batalik on May 29 1999. Leading a group of 30 men on a difficult mission on the Jubar ridge, at 14,000 feet, he managed to close in to the enemy. On reaching Point 4268, Maj Saravanan went ahead of the patrol and engaged the enemy in a long gun-battle. It was after a fierce battle that he and 10 soldiers fell prey to the enemy's bullets.
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| Capt PV Vikram (IC - 54362) |
Captain PV Vikram of 141 Field Regiment was on duty at a forward post located at 16,200 feet in Kaksar. On June 2, he along with his observation party tried to move ahead to another location. The intruders began firing and after almost one hour of cross-fire with the enemy he and three other comrades succumbed to injuries.
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| Captain Jintu Gogoi (SS -
32261Y) |
Captain Gogoi belonged to the 17 Garhwal Rifles. He was actively involved in the recapture of the Jubar Hill area in Batalik. This brave soldier led his men to the task of freeing this area from the enemy's control and laid down his life for the sake of the motherland. Capt Gogoi, was recalled from leave to join his unit 17 Garhwal, barely 12 days after his engagement and was ordered to take the picket on the Jubar Hill. The men of 17 Garhwal had charged into battle shouting "Badri Vishal", their battle cry. Of the four companies that went into battle one officer and eleven jawans did not return. The other soldiers who laid down their lives in this operation were L/Nk Madan Singh, Rfn Jaideep Singh, Rfn Varinder Lal (17 Garhwal), Sep Rajvir Singh, Sep Dharambir Singh, Sep Vinod Kumar, Sub Harpaul Singh, Sep Gazpal Singh and Sep Krishan Kumar (17 Jat).
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| Capt Amol Kalia (IC - 54065F) |
He belonged to the 12 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. A specialist in mountain warfare, Kalia and his men were fighting for survival after being attacked. This is the time when he grabbed a machine gun and fought off the enemy before being shot. The army suffered one of its heaviest casualties that day : Amol and 12 other ranks were killed. But two days later due to the courageous efforts of these soldiers this ridge was captured.
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| Lt Vijayant Thapar (IC - 58278M) |
Commissioned in December 1998 he laid down his life fighting Pakistani intruders in Kargil. It was the moon-lit night of June 28 and 29 when Major P. Acharya of the 2 Rajputana Rifles and his men were retaliating to enemy fire. The Company Commander succumb to the enemy bullet. At this crucial stage Lt Thapar took over the command of the company, wanting to avenge the death of his colleague. Fighting bravely against enemy fire he was killed by an enemy bullet that hit his forehead. Had it not been for his courageous efforts the picket would not have been taken back.
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| Rifleman Anusuya
Prasad Dhayani (4075503L) |
Rifleman Dhayani was from the 18 Garhwal Rifles and he made the supreme sacrifice of his life in an encounter with the enemy at Point 4700 in the Dras sub-sector on June 28. While bravely fighting the enemy Anusuya fell to a volley of bullets. This was in retaliation to the humiliating defeat which the enemy was facing in the hands of the valiant men of the 18 Garhwal Rifles.
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| Havaldar Yashvir Singh (4874399L) |
He was by Maj Vivek Gupta's side when the party was in the final stages of capturing Point 4950. Fierce combat ensued during the mission and the strategic hill at Tololing was wrested from the Pakistanis, but only after the loss of this and many other brave soldiers.
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Major Ajay Singh Jasrotia (SS - 36635K) |
He laid down his life for his motherland while fighting bravely in an encounter with the Pakistani intruder's in the Kargil Sector
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| Captain Saurav Kalia (IC
- 58522F) |
The bodies of Capt Saurav Kalia & five other soldiers of 4 Jat Regiment were severely mutilated and handed over by the Pakistan Army in Kargil. The six had gone missing in action on May 14. These soldiers were subjected to severe atrocities by the Pak Army. These Army personnel were on patrol duty in the Kaksar area of Kargil sector on May 14, when they were ambushed by Pakistani intruders. Apart from Capt Kalia, the other soldiers were Sepoys - Mula Ram, Banwar Lal, Bhikaram, Argon Baswana and Naresh Singh. This act was termed as a civilisational crime against humanity.
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| Lance Naik
Ahmed Ali (2680140F) |
Lance Naik Ahmed Ali laid down his life for his country while fighting the intruders in the Batalik sector on July 2.He fell to the enemy's bullet while capturing Point 5287 Hill in the Batalik sector. While forcing the intruders backwards in a face to face encounter he and ten other soldiers of his regiment succumbed to the enemy's fire. But it was the efforts of these men that led to the capturing of the hill completely. The other soldiers from the 17 Jat Regiment who laid down their life in this sector while recapturing this area are : Captain Jerry Premraj, L/Nk Balwan Singh, Nk Ram Swarup, Sep Satyavir Singh, Sep Sheesh Ram, Sep Varinder Kumar, Sepoy Karan Singh, Nk Ganesh Prasad, Sep Pramod Kumar, Sep Anil Kumar, Sep Dharamveer, Sep Jitendra Singh, Sep Rajinder and five personnel from the Grenadiers.
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| Lance Naik Shankar Shinde
(2780240F) |
Lance Naik Shankar Shinde was from the 18 Garhwal Rifles. He made the supreme sacrifice of his life while assaulting the enemy in the battle for Point 4700 and Tiger Hill. |
| Lance Naik Khairnar Eknath Chaitram
(69322439N) |
Eknath Khairnar belonged to the 8th Mountain Division was killed early in the Kargil fighting. He laid down his life while fighting courageously against enemy crossfire. |
| Naik Yogender Singh
(2690281) |
He laid down his life fighting the Pakistani backed infiltrators in the Kargil sector of Jammu & Kashmir. He belonged to the Third Rajputana Rifles and was killed in Kupwara. |
| Naik Chaman Singh
(2882511F) |
Killed in a fierce combat during the mission led by Major Vivek Gupta while capturing the Pt 4950 peak at Tololing. |
| Naik Ganesh Prasad Yadav
(4268024L) |
Naik Ganesh Yadav was from the Bihar Regiment. He gave the supreme sacrifice of his life in an encounter with the enemy. |
| Naik Birender Singh (2678123H) |
Nk Birender Singh, of 18 Grenadiers fell to the enemy bullets in the Battle for Tiger Hill, a picket at Dras. Ten people from his unit had been assigned the task of taking Tiger Hill. Being at a height the infiltrators were in a commanding position and Birender Singh's unit was supposed to climb up the hill, which provided no cover of any kind, to reclaim the picket. He was hit twice as he was in the direct line of fire and was killed on the spot. Five of the ten personnel participating in the operation were killed. |
| Naik Surender Singh (2883094) |
Killed in a fierce combat during the mission led by Major Vivek Gupta while capturing the Pt 4950 peak at Tololing.
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| Subedar Sumer Singh Rathore (JC
- 212589L) |
This brave soldier was killed in a fierce combat during the mission led by Major Vivek Gupta while capturing Point 4950 peak at Tololing.
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| Subedar Bhanwar Lal
(JC - 203567) |
Killed in a fierce combat during the mission led by Major Vivek Gupta while capturing the Point 4950 peak at Tololing.
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| Sepoy Hardeo Prasad
(4268338M) |
He laid down his life in Kargil in the prime of his youth. A Sepoy of the 17 Maratha Light Infantry, he performed the heroic feat by killing intruders at Kargil. Eventually he made the supreme sacrifice of his life for his country. . |
| Sepoy Raswinder Singh
(3397866X) |
He was involved in an important task of reclaiming Tiger Hill - a strategic point in Dras sector. He was part of the first team that went up the hill to entrench the enemy.He killed three intruders before a enemy bullet killed him. He was from the 8 Sikh Regiment.
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| Sqn Ldr Ajay Ahuja
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Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja of the Indian Air Force was killed in action on 27 May 99 while on a combat mission launched during the operations being conducted over the Indian side of the line of control in Kashmir when his aircraft was hit by a shoulder-fired ‘Stinger’ Surface to Air Missile (SAM). The officer made the supreme sacrifice for his country while remaining over enemy positions to help rescue attempts to locate a downed pilot, knowing fully well the existence of enemy SAMs in the area. This extremely courageous act involving immense risk to his life exemplifies the daring qualities of Indian fighter pilots engaged in the present operations. Tragically, he paid the price for his bravery when his MiG-21 fighter was hit by a SAM. Though the officer ejected safely, but, as was confirmed by the post-mortem report, he was murdered in cold blood on the ground. Sqn Ldr Ajay Ahuja hailed from Kota in Rajasthan and was born on 22 May 63. He graduated from the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the IAF as a fighter pilot on 14 Jun 85. His 14-year career span as a fighter pilot included tours as an operational pilot on the MiG-23 fighter-bomber and MiG-21 variants, besides instructional flying experience of over 1000 hours spent teaching ab-initio pilots. An A2 instructor, he was extremely popular among his pupils because of his patient and cheerful nature. A thorough professional, the officer was the Flight Commander of a specialist photo-reconnaissance squadron. His wife Mrs Alka Ahuja and a son Ankush survive him.
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| Sqn Ldr Rajeev Pundir |
Sqn Ldr Rajiv Pundir of the IAF was killed in action on 28 May 99 while flying as a co-pilot of a Mi-17 helicopter being flown in the attack role during a mission against infiltrator held ground positions within the Indian side of the line of control. His courageous action in the face of enemy fire contributed significantly to the support being given by the IAF to the Indian Army in its efforts to dislodge the intruders from our territory. A graduate of the National Defence Academy and a post graduate in Military Studies from the prestigious Defence services Staff College, Sqn Ldr Pundir was the Flight commander of a Mi-17 Helicopter Squadron. The officer displayed courage of an extremely high order and carried out successful combat missions against heavily defended ground targets. He made the supreme sacrifice during one such mission by carrying out attacks in a very hostile environment wherein the opposition on ground was known to possess a surfeit of surface to air missiles, in spite of which the officer carried out repeated attacks in the face of lethal enemy opposition. Sqn Ldr Rajiv Pundir was commissioned in the IAF on 28 Apr 83 and was an experienced Helicopter pilot experienced on, among other aircraft, the Heavy Lift Mi-26 Helicopter besides having 2500 hours on the Mi-8 and Chetak/Cheetah helicopters. An alumni of St Josephs Academy, Dehradun Rajiv Pundir was a thorough professional with a zest for doing things well. A very enthusiastic and energetic young man he remained at the centre stage of all activity. A keen sportsman, he had a passion for music and was an accomplished singer. Sqn Ldr Rajiv Pundir is survived by his wife Mrs. Sharmila Pundir, a seven-year-old daughter Bhavya, and a four and a half-year-old son Karan.
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| Flt Lt S. Muhilan
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| Flight Lieutenant S Muhilan was killed in action on 28 May 99 when his
helicopter was downed by a surface to air missile. He was captaining the aircraft, which
was a Mi-17 helicopter, during an attack mission against ground positions strongly held by
infiltrators. Flight Lieutenant S Muhilan skillfully maneuvered his aircraft and repeatedly carried out attacks in the face of fierce enemy opposition in the form of ground fire and Stinger Surface to Air missiles. He paid the supreme sacrifice during this air to ground rocket attack against a heavily missile defended area. His courageous action unmindful of danger to his personal safety typifies the courage of the IAF’s helicopter pilots who have time and again demonstrated such qualities during various operations including those conducted during natural calamities in aid to civil power. An experienced helicopter pilot he has flown both the Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters. A science graduate who joined the air force through the Combined Defence Services exam was commissioned at the air force academy on 08 Dec 93. This young officer from Belgaum in Karnataka was a thorough professional with over a thousand hours on helicopters. He made the supreme sacrifice for his country in keeping with the highest traditions of the service. Flt Lt Muhilan was an accomplished pilot from the Helicopter fleet of the air force and his flying skills enabled accurate delivery of lethal weapons against well entrenched positions. Intimately familiar with high altitude operations, his experience was an asset to the IAF in the current operations. Survived by his wife Mrs Bina Muhilan, he has also left behind a two year old son, Dhruv.
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| Sergeant PVNR Prasad |
| Sergeant PVNR Prasad a Flight Gunner on board a Mi-17 helicopter was killed in
action on 28 May 99 while participating in a combat attack mission against infiltrator
held ground positions on the Indian side of the line of control in Kashmir. Sgt PVNR Prasad displayed exemplary courage and bravery of the highest order. While in the face of intense enemy opposition, he carried out his functions in an exemplary fashion significantly contributing to the effectiveness of the crew as a whole. In doing so, he made the supreme sacrifice for his country. Sgt Prasad performed his mission undeterred by the dangers to his personal safety. Having joined the air force on 18 Jan 85 Sgt Prasad opted to become a Flight Gunner so that he could participate in active combat missions whenever required to do so. Hailing from Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh he served in many Air Force stations and specialised in Mi-8 helicopters. He leaves behind Mrs P Anuradha his wife and a four-year-old daughter Hyndavi.
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| Sergeant Raj Kishore Sahu |
| Sergeant Raj Kishore Sahu a Flight Engineer on board a Mi-17 helicopter was killed
in action on 28 May 99, when his helicopter was brought down over Indian territory by a
surface to air missile. Raj Kishore Sahu was engaged in attacking ground targets in the
Indian side of the line of control in Kashmir while attempting to dislodge intruders from
the Indian side. He displayed the highest standard of professionalism in steadfastly
carrying out his duties as ordered, in the face of intense enemy opposition during the
attack mission. His cool and efficient functioning made possible the effective employment
of the helicopter during the earlier attack. In doing so he made the supreme sacrifice for
his country and we are proud of this brave and valiant soldier whose efforts would
contribute in our evicting the infiltrators from Indian soil. Sgt Raj Kishore Sahu hailed from Cuttack in Orissa and joined the IAF on 03 Aug 89. He served in many Air Force stations across the length and breadth of India and has been posted in both Mi-8 and Mi-17 squadrons besides working on the technical maintenance team for MiG-27 aircraft at a forward fighter base in the eastern region. His father, Mr Krishna Chandra Sahu, survives him. |
By Investment Research & Information Services Ltd. on
behalf of a grateful nation.
Copyright© 1999-2000