Dhruv Yadav

Biography

Major Dhruv Yadav was born on 29 December 1983 in Haryana into an Air Force family, the son of Wing Commander Rajveer Yadav, VSM, and Mrs Shalini Yadav. He completed his schooling at the renowned Rashtriya Indian Military College in the Doon Valley, Dehradun, before joining the prestigious National Defence Academy and subsequently the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He was commissioned into the 75 Armoured Regiment of the Armoured Corps, one of the Indian Army's distinguished combat arms. After serving with his unit for some time, he was posted as an instructor at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. In September 2015, Major Dhruv's unit was deployed to Pokhran in Rajasthan for a high-level combat training exercise. On 22 September 2015, while engaged in the exercise involving various combat elements, Major Dhruv was leading a tank when he was struck by shrapnel from a round fired by a tank behind him. Gravely wounded, he succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. A dedicated soldier and an outstanding officer, respected by his comrades and subordinates alike, he laid down his life in the line of duty.