Sanjay Baduni

Biography

Major Sanjay Baduni was born on 21 January 1962 in Dehradun. The grandson of a freedom fighter, nationalism ran in his blood, and from childhood he dreamed of wearing the military uniform. His dream came true when he was selected for the Army and passed out from the prestigious Indian Military Academy in 1985. Commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery, he took great pride in serving as a gunner and was remembered as a gentle, caring and deeply committed soldier. By 1995 he had completed nearly ten years of service across varied terrain and demanding operational conditions before being posted to the 25 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, deployed for counter-terrorism operations in the militancy-affected Doda sector of Jammu and Kashmir. On 24 August 1995, acting on intelligence about the presence of militants in Dhara village, Major Baduni led a search-and-destroy operation. The militants had taken cover in a house sheltering two small children, and he chose not to blow up the building to protect the innocents. When challenged, a militant tried to flee through the back door; Major Baduni gave chase and fired at him, but was hit by bullets in the leg and neck. He later succumbed to his injuries, making the supreme sacrifice while defending his motherland.