Pradeep Patel

Biography

Sepoy Pradeep Patel hailed from Hardua Kalan village in the Vijayraghavgarh tehsil of Katni district in Madhya Pradesh and was born in the year 2000. The son of Shri Baisakhu Patel and Smt Sakhi Patel, he was passionate about the Armed Forces from his younger days. His aspiration was fulfilled when he was selected and joined the Indian Army in 2020 at the age of 20. He was recruited into the Corps of EME, the arm responsible for the design, development, trial, inspection, refit, repair and maintenance of the weapon systems and equipment of the Indian Army. By September 2024, Sepoy Pradeep Patel's EME battalion was deployed at Binagudi in West Bengal, providing repair and maintenance expertise to units across its area of responsibility. This AOR spanned remote and rugged mountainous terrain marked by extreme weather and narrow roads with steep gradients that posed serious challenges to troop movement. On 5th September 2024, he was assigned an operational task requiring a move by road to a location in Sikkim. Together with his comrades, led by Sub K Thangapandi, he set off from Pedong in Kalimpong district that morning, bound for Zuluk, a village along the historic Silk Route. As the vehicle, driven by Sepoy Pradeep Patel and carrying three soldiers, made its way forward, the weather turned severe. A sudden downpour left the roads slick and treacherous. Despite his efforts to maintain control, the relentless rain and steep incline overwhelmed the vehicle, which veered off the road and plunged some 700 to 800 feet into a gorge near Dalopchand Dara along the Rhenock-Rongli state route. All four soldiers were gravely injured and, despite a swift rescue effort, succumbed at a field hospital. Sepoy Pradeep Patel laid down his life at the age of 24 in the line of duty.