Sanjay Kumar | |
---|---|
Born | Kalol Bakain, Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, India | 3 March 1976
Allegiance | Republic of India |
Service | Indian Army |
Years of service | 26 June 1996 - present |
Rank | Subedar Major |
Service number | 13760533 |
Unit | 13 JAK RIF |
Battles / wars | Kargil War |
Awards | Param Vir Chakra |
Alma mater | Govt. Sr. Secondary School, Kalol |
Subedar Major [1] [2] Sanjay Kumar PVC (born 3 March 1976 [3] ) is an Indian Junior Commissioned Officer, and recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military award for his exemplary bravery during Kargil War. [4] He is the only PVC awardee who is currently serving.
Sanjay Kumar was born in village Kalol Bakain in Bilaspur District of Himachal Pradesh in a Dogra Rajput family of Durga Ram and Bhag Devi. He completed his secondary education from Government Senior Secondary School, Kalol. Prior to joining the army, he worked as a taxi driver in New Delhi. [5] His uncle was in the Indian Army while his second brother is also serving with the Indo Tibetan Border Police. [6] His application was rejected three times before he was finally selected to join the army. He was enlisted in 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles of Indian Army on 26 June 1996.
On 4 July 1999, as a member of the 13th Battalion, Jammu & Kashmir Rifles, he was the leading scout of a team tasked to capturing Area Flat Top, during the Kargil War. The area was held by Pakistani troops. Having scaled the cliff, the team was pinned down by machine gun fire from an enemy bunker, about 150 meters away.
Kumar, realizing the magnitude of the problem and the detrimental effect this bunker would have in the capture of Area Flat Top, crawled alone up the ledge, along a flank, and charged towards the enemy bunker through a there was a bullet rain. Almost instantly he took two bullets in his chest and forearm that left him bleeding profusely.
Though bleeding from the bullet wounds, he continued the charge towards the bunker. In hand-to-hand fighting, he killed three enemy soldiers. He then picked up an enemy machine gun and crept towards the second enemy bunker. The enemy soldiers, taken completely by surprise, were killed by him as they fled their post. Inspired by his act the rest of the platoon charged, assaulted the feature and captured Area Flat Top.
In February 2022, he received the rank of Subedar Major and is posted to the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla near Pune. [7]
The Param Vir Chakra citation on the official Indian Army website reads as follows:
Rifleman Sanjay Kumar volunteered to be the leading scout of the attacking column tasked to capture area Flat Top of Point 4875 in the Mushkoh Valley on 4 July 1999. During the attack when enemy automatic fire from one of the sangars posed stiff opposition and stalled the column, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, realizing the gravity of the situation and with utter disregard to his personal safety, charged at the enemy. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, he killed three of the intruders and was himself seriously injured. Despite his injuries, he charged onto the second bunker. Taken totally by surprise, the enemy left behind a Universal Machine Gun and started running.
Rifleman Sanjay Kumar picked up the UMG and killed the fleeing enemy. Although bleeding profusely, he refused to be evacuated. The brave action on his part motivated his comrades and they took no notice of the treacherous terrain and charged onto the enemy and wrested the area Flat Top from the hands of the enemy.
Rifleman Sanjay Kumar displayed most conspicuous gallantry, cool courage and devotion to duty of an exceptionally high order in the face of the enemy. [8]
During his career, he has been awarded with the Param Vir Chakra (Independence Day 1999) for his part in the Operation Vijay.
Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
---|---|---|---|
Rifleman | Indian Army | 26 June 1996 | |
Havildar | Indian Army | 26 January 2000 Directly promoted to the rank of Havildar for receiving Param Vir Chakra | |
Naib Subedar | Indian Army | 2 July 2014 | |
Subedar | Indian Army | ||
Subedar Major | Indian Army | February 2022 | |
In 2010 Kumar was demoted from the rank of Havildar to Lance Naik. [9] The army refused to cite any reasons for his demotion. Moreover, the army concealed the facts and by continuing to refer to him as Havildar in press releases. Recipients of the Param-Vir Chakra are saluted irrespective of rank, which is alleged to be the bone of contention between Kumar and senior officers. [9]
Kumar was offered a job by the Himachal Pradesh Government and may accept this offer after completing his 15 years of service (for receiving post-retirement benefits) in the army. [9]
On 2 July 2014, Kumar became a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army, with his promotion to Naib Subedar. While the promotion of Kumar had once become an issue in the Army after he was allegedly demoted to the rank of Lance Naik from the rank of Havildar in 2008, the issue was later buried with the intervention of higher authorities. It was also stated that there are no out-of-turn promotions for recipients of gallantry awards in the Army and they are promoted as per their seniority with their fellow soldiers in the unit. [1] [2]
He was promoted to the rank of Subedar Major in February 2022. [7]
Kumar's story along with others who were part of the same conflict was portrayed in the film LOC Kargil , in which his character was played by famous Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty.
A statue of Sub Maj Sanjay Kumar was unveiled at Param Yodha Sthal, Delhi with 20 other PVC Awardees. One of the Islands of Andaman and Nicobar has been renamed as Sanjay Dweep with other 20 PVC winners on Parakram Diwas 23 January 2021.
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy". As of January 2018, the medal has been awarded 21 times, of which 14 were posthumous and 16 arose from actions in Indo-Pakistani conflicts. Of the 21 awardees, 20 have been from the Indian Army and one has been from the Indian Air Force. Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient. A number of state governments of India as well as ministries of the central government provide allowances and rewards to recipients of the PVC.
The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the British Distinguished Service Order (DSO). The medal may be awarded posthumously.
The 11th Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army that was re-raised after independence. The regiment consists of primarily the Kirant Tribes Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, Sunuwar of Eastern Nepal, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dooars of West Bengal, Sikkim and other parts of Northeast India. Though it is considered to be the youngest of the Gorkha regiments its lineage is as long as those of the 7th Gurkha Rifles and 10th Gurkha Rifles.
The Ashoka Chakra is India's highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" other than in the face of the enemy. The decoration may be awarded either to military or civilian personnel.
The Grenadiers is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, formerly part of the Bombay Army and later the pre-independence British Indian Army, when the regiment was known as the 4th Bombay Grenadiers. It has distinguished itself during the two world wars and also since the Independence of India. The regiment has won many battle honours and gallantry awards, and is considered to be one of India's most decorated regiments with three Param Vir Chakra awardees in three different conflicts.
Lance Naik Albert Ekka, PVC was an Indian soldier. He was killed in action in the Battle of Gangasagar, during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. He was posthumously awarded India's highest military award, the Param Vir Chakra, for his valour in the face of the enemy.
The Vir Chakra is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of gallantry on the battlefield, on land or in the air or at sea.
Captain Vikram Batra, PVC was an Indian Army officer. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest Indian military decoration, for his actions during the Kargil War; on 7 July 1999, Batra was killed while fighting Pakistani troops around Area Ledge, Point 4875, in the Kargil district of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir.
Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, PVC was an Indian military officer posthumous recipient of India's highest military decoration, the Param Vir Chakra, for his audacious courage and leadership during the Kargil War in 1999. An officer of the first battalion in the 11th Gorkha Rifles, he died in battle on the bunker hill edge of the Khalubar Hills in the village of Garkon Aryan Valley in Kargil.
Dhan Singh Thapa PVC was an Indian military officer and recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration. He was commissioned into the 1st Battalion, 8 Gorkha Rifles in 1949.
Captain Bana SinghPVC is an Indian soldier and a recipient of the nation's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. As a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army, he led the team that wrested control of the highest peak on the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir from Pakistani forces as part of Operation Rajiv. Following his success, India renamed the peak to Bana Post in his honour.
The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regimental center is in Srinagar's Airport Complex at Awantipora with a winter setup near Jammu. Its regimental insignia consists of a pair of crossed rifles. The regiment mostly consists of volunteers from the state of Jammu & Kashmir and ethnic groups from the state. The Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is considered to be one of the most decorated regiment of the Indian army having won 1 Param Veer Chakra and 3 Ashok Chakra. Naib Subedar Chuni Lal of the 8th battalion Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry is one of the most decorated personnel of the Indian Army.
Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav PVC is a retired Indian military junior commissioned officer, who was awarded India's highest military award, the Param Vir Chakra, for his actions during the Kargil War. He is the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra to date, having received it at the age of 19.
Subedar and Honorary Captain Karam Singh PVC, MM was an Indian soldier and a recipient of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest award for gallantry. Singh joined the army in 1941, and took part in the Burma Campaign of World War II, receiving the Military Medal for his actions during the Battle of the Admin Box in 1944. He also fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, and was awarded the PVC for his role in saving a forward post at Richhmar Gali, south of Tithwal. He was also one of the five soldiers chosen to raise the Indian flag for the first time after independence in 1947. Singh later rose to the rank of subedar, and was conferred the rank of honorary captain before his retirement in September 1969.
Company Havildar Major Piru Singh Shekhawat was an Indian Army non-commissioned officer, awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) posthumously, India's highest military decoration for gallantry.
Naib Subedar Chuni Lal AC, VrC, SM was an Indian Army soldier of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. He was born in Bhaderwah, and basically from Gandhari Paddar and lived in Bhara village with his parents, Shanker Dass and Shakuntala Devi, in Doda district of Jammu. Decorated with Vir Chakra and Sena Medal (Gallantry), JC-593527, Lal was killed in action on 24 June 2007 in a militant flush-out operation in Kashmir's Kupwara sector. These militants, all of whom were also shot dead, were trying to cross the Line of Control (LoC) and enter Indian territory. The success of this militant flush-out operation, which claimed his life, earned him the highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valor, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield, the Ashok Chakra. He is the most highly decorated soldier of the Indian Army of all time, honored with the Sena Medal, Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra.
Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VrC, SM, ADC is a retired General Officer of the Indian Army. He was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, assuming office from Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on 1 February 2020. He last served as the Chief of staff of the Northern Command, assuming the office from Lt Gen SK Sharma. Previously, he was the commander of Leh based Fire & Fury Corps. As Army Commander he is credited with spearheading the Indian response to PLA's attempt to alter the status quo on Line of Actual Control (LAC) by use of force. He is the only war decorated Army Commander who has to his credit successes against both Indian adversaries China and Pakistan.
Havildar Bhim Bahadur Dewan was the leading section commander of 1/11 Gorkha Rifles under Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, who was tasked to capture "Khalubar South" on 3 July 1999. He was awarded Vir Chakra (posthumously) for his contribution in Operation Vijay against Pakistani Army
Naib Subedar Chhering Mutup, AC is a retired Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) with the Ladakh Scouts who was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration.
{{cite web}}
: |last=
has generic name (help)