Rajesh Singh Adhikari
Encyclopedia
Major
Rajesh Singh Adhikari, Maha Vir Chakra
was an Indian Army
officer who died during the Kargil War
. He was posthumously awarded the second highest Indian military honour, the Maha Vir Chakra
for bravery on the battlefield.
. He completed his schooling from St. Joseph's College
in 1987, Intermediate from Government Inter College, Nainital and B.Sc. from Kumaon University in the year 1992.
, a premier military academy in India.Major Rajesh Singh was commissioned on 11th December 1993 from the Indian Military Academy. After passing out of the Academy, he joined the 2 Mech. Infantry of the Indian Army.He was posted in 18th Grenadiers at the time of kargil war.
region of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir
owing to planned infiltration by militants backed by the Pakistan
army, the Indian Army was ordered to clear the heights of those intruders. Many tough battles took place in the region.The Mechanized Infantry's Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, the second army officer to die in the operations against infiltrators, had caused heavy casualties to the intruders and forced them to withdraw before succumbing to injuries in Drass sector. It was one of the most significant battles, the Battle of Tololing
, where Rajesh made a valiant sacrifice.
On 30 May 1999, as a part of battalion operations to capture the Tololing feature, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, 18 Grenadiers (2 Mech. Inf.) was tasked to secure the initial foothold by capturing its forward spur where the enemy held a strongly fortified advance position. The post was located in a treacherous, mountainous terrain at about 15,000 feet and covered with snow. 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 (MMG) 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. For conspicuous gallantry and supreme sacrifice, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari was posthumously awarded the second highest Indian Army decoration Maha Vir Chakra
for his actions in the battle.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Rajesh Singh Adhikari, Maha Vir Chakra
Maha Vir Chakra
The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It may be awarded posthumously. Literally Maha Veer means extraordinarily brave.-Appearance:The medal is made...
was an Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
officer who died during the Kargil War
Kargil War
The Kargil War ,, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control...
. He was posthumously awarded the second highest Indian military honour, the Maha Vir Chakra
Maha Vir Chakra
The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It may be awarded posthumously. Literally Maha Veer means extraordinarily brave.-Appearance:The medal is made...
for bravery on the battlefield.
Early life
Rajesh Singh Adhikari was born on 25 December 1970 and brought up in Nainital, a picturesque hill station in northern IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He completed his schooling from St. Joseph's College
St Joseph's College, Nainital
St Joseph's College Nainital is a day boarding and residential school in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India providing public school education. Starting from 2010 academic session, the school will also accept girls for day boarding, for classes 11 and 12.-Overview:...
in 1987, Intermediate from Government Inter College, Nainital and B.Sc. from Kumaon University in the year 1992.
Career
He attended the Indian Military AcademyIndian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy, Dehradun is the officer training school of the Indian Army. IMA was established in 1932.-Demands for an Indian military training academy:...
, a premier military academy in India.Major Rajesh Singh was commissioned on 11th December 1993 from the Indian Military Academy. After passing out of the Academy, he joined the 2 Mech. Infantry of the Indian Army.He was posted in 18th Grenadiers at the time of kargil war.
During War
When heavy fighting broke out in the KargilKargil District
Kargil is a district of Ladakh, Kashmir, India. Kargil lies near the Line of Control facing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Baltistan to the west, and Kashmir valley to the south. Zanskar is part of Kargil district along with Suru, Wakha and Dras valleys...
region of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
owing to planned infiltration by militants backed by the Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
army, the Indian Army was ordered to clear the heights of those intruders. Many tough battles took place in the region.The Mechanized Infantry's Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, the second army officer to die in the operations against infiltrators, had caused heavy casualties to the intruders and forced them to withdraw before succumbing to injuries in Drass sector. It was one of the most significant battles, the Battle of Tololing
Battle of Tololing
The Battle of Tololing was one of the pivotal battles in the Kargil War between India's armed forces and troops from the Northern Light Infantry who were aided by other Pakistan backed irregulars in 1999. The Tololing is a dominant position overlooking the Srinagar - Leh Highway and was a vital link...
, where Rajesh made a valiant sacrifice.
On 30 May 1999, as a part of battalion operations to capture the Tololing feature, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, 18 Grenadiers (2 Mech. Inf.) was tasked to secure the initial foothold by capturing its forward spur where the enemy held a strongly fortified advance position. The post was located in a treacherous, mountainous terrain at about 15,000 feet and covered with snow. 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 (MMG) 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. For conspicuous gallantry and supreme sacrifice, Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari was posthumously awarded the second highest Indian Army decoration Maha Vir Chakra
Maha Vir Chakra
The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It may be awarded posthumously. Literally Maha Veer means extraordinarily brave.-Appearance:The medal is made...
for his actions in the battle.
External links
- India Today - Coming Home
- Bharat-Rakshak on Rajesh Adhikari
- Bharat-Rakshak on The Battle For Tololing