Tarun Kumar, SC

Biography

Captain Tarun Kumar was born on 6 March 1969 in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The son of Lieutenant Colonel VK Trihima and Mrs Bindu Trihima, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Indian Army. He was commissioned into the 157 Air Defence Regiment of the Corps of Army Air Defence, an important combat support arm. After serving with his unit for some years, in 1998 he was deputed to 4 Rashtriya Rifles. In 1998, Captain Tarun Kumar was serving with 4 Rashtriya Rifles, deployed for counter-insurgency operations in the Kupwara district of Jammu & Kashmir, a militancy-affected area that posed frequent challenges. On 9 August 1998, the unit received intelligence about the presence of hardcore militants within its area of responsibility, and a search-and-destroy operation was launched. Captain Tarun Kumar was part of the team leading the operation. The soldiers cordoned off the suspected area and soon spotted the militants, who opened fire when challenged. In the fierce gunfight that followed for several hours, Captain Tarun and his team eliminated several militants through superior fieldcraft. During the heavy exchange of fire he was grievously wounded and laid down his life. For his conspicuous courage and supreme sacrifice, he was awarded the Shaurya Chakra.