Rajib Thapa

Biography

Naik Rajib Thapa was born in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. After completing his schooling, he joined the Army and was enrolled in the 3rd Battalion of the 5 Gorkha Rifles, an infantry regiment renowned for the courage of its soldiers. During his service career, he served in various operational areas marked by challenging working conditions. In 2019, his unit was deployed in the Naushera Sector of Rajouri district in Jammu & Kashmir, along the highly active and volatile Line of Control, where ceasefire violations occurred frequently. On 23 August 2019, Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing across the LoC, targeting Indian Army posts and civilian areas with heavy cross-border shelling. That day, Naik Rajib Thapa was manning one of the forward posts near Kalsian village in the Naushera Sector. The Indian Army responded resolutely, and intense exchanges of fire continued intermittently for several hours. During the firing, Naik Rajib Thapa was gravely wounded. He was rushed to a military hospital for treatment, but succumbed to his injuries and attained martyrdom.