Terror and some untold tales of valour from the Valley

Meet the men who guard the borders of our nation risking their lives and sometimes sacrificing them

Mike Ridge (LoC), Uri sector
Two years ago Hrithik Roshan created waves by portraying a bindaas poster boy-turned-soldier in Lakshya who displays exemplary valour in fighting the enemy on the rugged Kargil peaks. A 26-year-old hotel management executive-turned-soldier played the same role but for real when he led a dare-devil operation against infiltrators at the LoC, killing four militants, and winning the Kirti Chakra.

Meet Captain Abhinav Handa, 26, of 9-Maratha Light Infantry, one of the young soldiers of the Indian Army who have won bravery awards in their first postings in conflict zones.

Commissioned in the Army Service Corps in March 2005, Abhinav straightaway joined the infantry battalion to complete his three years mandatory attachment with the unit.
Interestingly, his first posting was in Jammu and Kashmir.

From leading a Ghatak platoon in the jungles of Rajouri to protecting the Amarnath pilgrims to guarding the LoC, the 26-year-old soldier has come a long way in fighting terror.

“I wanted to lead a purposeful life, one I was not getting working at Marriotts, Mumbai, and American Express before that. Someone suggested I join the army. I took the test and made at the first instance itself. There is no looking back since,” says Abhinav from Dehradun.

A first-generation army officer, Abhinav lost his father when he was seven. “I am the only guy in my family who has joined the army. My father was an engineer and I did several things before I finally took the plunge,” he says.

Far from the LoC, Major Paramvir Singh Jamwal of 9-Rashtriya Riffles created history in south Kashmir killing 15 top militants leading 10 anti-insurgency operations in Kulgam.

For his bravery, he was awarded the Shaurya Chakra, the second-highest gallantry award in peacetime equivalent to the wartime Maha Vir Chakra.

A second-generation army officer, the 35-year-old Major hails from Jammu and was commissioned in the Mechanized Infantry in 1996. Hard as a rock and cool as a cucumber, the suave officer is completing two years in Kashmir and still looking for new militant targets.

“Having Major Jamwal in my unit is a matter of pride. A fine officer, I have no worries when he handles operations because I know he will do the job with finesse. It was his grit when he fought militants in Aahgam, killing four of them in a clean operation,” says Colonel Ranjan Mahajan, CO 9-RR.

Though Jamwal is satisfied with the award, he believes his job of fighting militancy is not yet over. “I leave my fears at home when I go for a combat operation. Even I do not tell my family about it. It is always satisfying to do something for the country,” he says.

It is this love for the country that Captain Harshan R of 2-Para (Special Forces) led a column in the militancy-infested Lolaab area of Kupwara to flush out four ultras hiding in a house. Risking his life, he cordoned off the house. The ultras tried to flee, but he engaged them in a gunfight and was hit by a bullet in his thigh.

“He killed two militants before he was hit again, this time in his neck. He fell on his buddy whom he covered so that he should not be hit. Despite being wounded, he continued to fire, killing the third militant before he himself succumbed. He was awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award,” says Colonel Deepak Bakshi, CO 2-Para.

Hailing from Kazhakootam, Kerala, Capt Harshan was directly commissioned in the Special Forces in 2002. A deep-sea diver and a mountaineer, he had excelled in every sphere of life.

“We miss him every day in social gatherings, in meetings and operations. He was a foodie and an avid biker. Such was his motivation that last year he won a competition of Special Forces in Agra,” says Col Bakshi.

There are stories galore of the valour of soldiers fighting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Colonel Vasant Venugopal of 9 Maratha LI and Lance Naik Chunni Lal of 8 JAKLI continue to inspire soldiers of all ranks. Both have won the the Ashok Chakra for displaying exemplary bravery in the war against terror.

Col Vasant died while leading a fight against infiltrators on the LoC in the Uri sector and Chunni Lal died fighting infiltrators in Machil.

“I remember Chunni was always volunteering to fight militancy. We miss the great soldier who not only fought on the Siachen glacier but repulsed Pakistani attacks in Poonch. He died fighting militants in Machil. He will remain an inspiration to the generations to come,” says Lt Colonel SC Obrien, officiating CO 8-JAKLI.