Hanuman Ram Jakhad

Biography

Lance Naik Hanuman Ram Jakhad hailed from Ghandawa village in Surajgarh tehsil of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, and was born in 1945 to Shri Tularam Jakhad and Smt Chana Devi. He joined the army in 1962 at the age of 17 and was recruited into the 2 Grenadiers Battalion of The Grenadiers, an infantry regiment renowned for its gallant soldiers and a long record of battle honours. Early in his service he saw active operations, taking part in the 1965 Indo-Pak war when his unit was deployed on the western border. In September 1967, his battalion was deployed in East Sikkim near the Nathu La Pass, a strategically vital feature on the watershed separating Sikkim from China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Following the closure of trade after the 1962 war, India began fencing the border in barbed wire in August 1967, provoking a series of tense confrontations with Chinese troops. On 11 September 1967, as army engineers worked to complete a wire obstacle at Nathu La, the 2 Grenadiers, along with the 18 Rajput, were detailed as a protection party. Captain Prithvi Singh Dagar of 2 Grenadiers led the team ordered to strengthen the wire-laying party opposite the 'South Shoulder', and Lance Naik Hanuman Ram was among the soldiers with him. As the wire was being laid, a scuffle erupted and the Chinese soldiers opened fire from the front and both flanks. Captain Dagar was struck in the right hand but, undaunted, led the counter-attack from the front. Lance Naik Hanuman Ram and his comrades fought back valiantly against the enemy fire. During this fierce engagement he was severely wounded and made the supreme sacrifice at the age of 22, laying down his life in the service of the nation.