Rajesh Poonia

Biography

Rifleman Rajesh Poonia hailed from Bhagal village in Guhla Tehsil of Kaithal district in Haryana. Born to Bhag Singh Poonia and Krishna Devi, he was the elder of two sons. He joined the Army in 2015 and was enrolled into the 6th battalion of the famed Rajputana Rifles Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle honours. In 2018, Rifleman Rajesh Poonia's unit was deployed in the Kaksar region of Ladakh along the Line of Control. On 18 August 2018, he was performing patrol duty at an altitude of about 18,000 feet, in terrain marked by dangerous slopes, gorges and slippery ground. The weather in the area often acted as an enemy in itself, with temperatures dropping to sub-zero levels and visibility falling to almost nil. On that day, while negotiating the treacherous ground in poor weather, Rifleman Rajesh Poonia slipped on the icy slopes and fell into a gorge nearly 300 metres below. He was severely injured in the fall and later succumbed to his injuries. Rifleman Rajesh Poonia was a valiant and committed soldier who laid down his life in the line of duty. At his funeral in his ancestral village, amid loud chants of 'Rajesh Poonia Amar Rahe,' his grieving mother declared with great courage that she was proud of her son's martyrdom and was ready to send even her second son to serve the nation in the Army.