Nehal Gurung

Biography

Rifleman Nehal Gurung was born in Khagrohe village of Bashohli tehsil, Kathua district, Jammu & Kashmir. The only son of his parents, he came from a family with a strong military tradition — his grandfather, Subedar Anantbir Gurung, retired in 1983, while his father, Ravinder Gurung, served with 2 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles and retired in 2004. Following this legacy, Nehal Gurung joined the Army in 2014 at the age of 18 and was inducted into the 5/9 Gorkha Rifles, a regiment renowned for its brave soldiers and distinguished battle honours. In 2018, his unit was deployed along the Line of Control in the Keran sector of Kupwara district, a highly active and volatile area frequently used by terrorists for infiltration. To counter such attempts, the Army maintained regular armed patrols as part of an anti-infiltration grid. On 25 August 2018, Rifleman Nehal Gurung was part of one such patrol in the Keran sector when he was injured in a landmine blast. Given first aid and evacuated to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, he succumbed to his injuries. He laid down his life in the service of the nation at the age of just 22.