Sanjay Kumar (soldier)
Encyclopedia
Rifleman
Sanjay Kumar, PVC
13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, is a recipient of the Param Vir Chakra
, India
's highest military
award. He was the leading Scout of a team tasked to capturing Area Flat Top on July 4, 1999 during the Kargil war
. The area was held by Pakistan
military. 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 hail of automatic fire. 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 soldier
s, 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.
awarded to him reads:
RIFLEMAN SANJAY KUMAR
13 JAMMU AND KASHMIR RIFLES (13760533)
Himachal Pradesh to Shri Durga Ram . His schooling took place in the Govt. Sr. Secondary School Kalol. During the period of 1993-94 in Delhi, he worked as driver in a private company. He was selected by the Indian Army
on 4 June 1996 after being rejected twice before. He got a posting in the 13th Jammu and Kashmir
Rifles.
and the character was played by Sunil Shetty.
Rifleman
Although ultimately originating with the 16th century handgunners and the 17th century musketeers and streltsy, the term rifleman originated from the 18th century. It would later become the term for the archetypal common soldier.-History:...
Sanjay Kumar, PVC
Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....
13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, is a recipient of the Param Vir Chakra
Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....
, India
India
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...
's highest military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
award. He was the leading Scout of a team tasked to capturing Area Flat Top on July 4, 1999 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...
. The area was held by 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...
military. Having scaled the cliff, the team was pinned down by machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
fire from an enemy bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
, 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 hail of automatic fire. 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
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
and crept towards the second enemy bunker. The enemy soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s, taken completely by surprise, were killed by him as they fled their post. Inspired by his act the rest of the platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
charged, assaulted the feature and captured Area Flat Top.
Citation
The citation for the Param Vir ChakraParam Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It can be, and often has been, awarded posthumously....
awarded to him reads:
Jammu & Kashmir Rifles
The Jammu & Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The Jammu & Kashmir State Forces was the only former Princely State Forces of India to be absorbed into the Indian Army as a distinct and separate Regiment. In 1963, the designation was changed to Jammu & Kashmir Rifles...
His early life
Born on 3 March 1976 in village Bakain, Distt. BilaspurBilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh
Bilaspur is a district of Himachal Pradesh state, India. It contains the manmade Govind Sagar Lake on the Sutlej River which acts as the reservoir for the Bhakra and Nangal Dam project. The road bridge on this lake at Kandraur is highest of its kind in Asia. Its headquarters are in the town of...
Himachal Pradesh to Shri Durga Ram . His schooling took place in the Govt. Sr. Secondary School Kalol. During the period of 1993-94 in Delhi, he worked as driver in a private company. He was selected by the 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...
on 4 June 1996 after being rejected twice before. He got a posting in the 13th 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...
Rifles.
In popular culture
Sanjay Kumar's story along with others who were part of the same conflict was portrayed in the movie LOC KargilLOC Kargil
LOC Kargil is a 2003 Bollywood war film based on the Kargil War, directed and written by J. P. Dutta. The film stars a large number of Bollywood stars.- Plot :The film is an attempt to dramatize a synopsis of the 1999 Kargil War ....
and the character was played by Sunil Shetty.