Rajesh Kumar, KC

Biography

Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar hailed from Tihra village in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. After completing his studies, he joined the Indian Army and was inducted into the Mahar Regiment, a regiment renowned for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle exploits. Following a few years of service with his parent unit, he was deputed to the 30 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, which was deployed in Jammu & Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. During 2014, Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar's unit was deployed in the Kupwara district of J&K and was regularly engaged in operations against militants. On 27 October 2014, the unit received intelligence about an infiltration bid by hardcore terrorists in the Wadarbala forest within its area of responsibility. A patrol was launched for a search and cordon operation, and in the early morning of 28 October 2014, the patrol led by Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar began searching the suspected area. The patrol soon spotted the infiltrators, who opened fire on being challenged, and a fierce gun battle ensued. As the militants tried to escape through the thick forest, Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar swiftly redeployed his men and dashed across the steep slopes of Wadarbala to block the nullah being used as an escape route. Despite indiscriminate fire at close range, he crawled forward with utter disregard for his safety and killed one terrorist. With the remaining terrorists holed up under a rock, he pressed forward to eliminate them. When two terrorists charged at him, he fought on despite his injuries and killed one more before making the supreme sacrifice. For his raw courage, grit and devotion to duty, Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar was awarded the Kirti Chakra, the nation's second-highest peacetime gallantry award.