Rajesh Kumar

Biography

Subedar Rajesh Kumar hailed from Kalichpur Kalota village in Mukerian tehsil of Hoshiarpur district in Punjab. The son of an army veteran, Havildar Ram Chander, he grew up inspired by his father and was inclined to serve in the Army from his younger days. After completing his school education, he joined the Army at the age of 19 and was recruited into 60 Medium Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery, an important combat support arm of the Indian Army known for its booming field guns. Over the years, Subedar Rajesh Kumar developed into a proud gunner and a very dependable junior commissioned officer. By 2020 he had risen to the rank of Subedar, having served in various operational areas and gathered substantial field experience in operating the varied weapon systems of the Regiment of Artillery. After serving for some years with his parent unit, he was deputed to serve with the 43 Rashtriya Rifles battalion deployed in Jammu & Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. During September 2020, his unit was deployed in Rajouri district, an area affected by active militancy where the Line of Control remained highly volatile with frequent ceasefire violations. On the night of 01/02 September 2020, Pakistan Army troops initiated unprovoked firing on Indian posts across the border. Subedar Rajesh Kumar was supervising an operation meant to provide support to infantry and artillery units deployed in the forward area along the LoC. As the Indian Army responded to the aggression, a heavy exchange of fire ensued and continued intermittently for several hours. During this exchange, Subedar Rajesh Kumar was seriously injured and later succumbed to his wounds, laying down his life in the line of duty.