Rapolu Veera Raja Reddy

Biography

Captain Rapolu Veera Raja Reddy hailed from Hyderabad and was born on 22 September 1977, the son of Dr R Kondal Reddy. He studied at Takshashila Public School and later completed his Class XII from Little Flower Junior College, Hyderabad. Though he did not come from a military background, he was drawn towards the Armed Forces from his younger days. Following this passion, he was selected for the prestigious National Defence Academy after finishing school, joining the NDA in 1995 as part of the Foxtrot Squadron. He excelled in various aspects of his training and passed out with distinction. He subsequently trained at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in December 1999 at the age of 22 into 69 Field Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery, an important combat support arm of the Indian Army. Raised with strong emphasis on cultural and moral values, and deeply influenced by texts such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Vedas, he grew into a man of firm character. Posted to Jammu and Kashmir, he evolved into a committed soldier with superior field-craft skills, and his affable, caring nature endeared him to his peers and subordinates. Promoted to Captain, he took part in numerous operations and trained village defence committee members in drills and weapon firing. In July 2002, his unit was deployed in Rajouri district as part of Operation Parakram. On 31 July 2002, acting on intelligence about militants hiding in a residential building, Captain Reddy led a joint operation with the J&K Police. As the cordon tightened, the militants opened heavy fire and a fierce gun battle ensued. Moving to seal all escape routes, Captain Reddy was hit and grievously wounded. Undeterred, he continued to pin down the terrorists to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians before succumbing to his injuries. The operation ended successfully, with four militants killed. He was 25.