Gautam Jain

Biography

Lieutenant Gautam Jain hailed from Indore in Madhya Pradesh and was born on 29 May 1979 at Thane, Maharashtra, to Shri Sumat Prakash Jain and Smt Sudha Jain. From an early age he displayed strong leadership abilities and a sincere sense of responsibility, qualities that shaped his aspiration to serve the nation in uniform. He completed his schooling at Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar in Indore, passing out in 1996, and went on to clear the competitive examination for the National Defence Academy. After training at the NDA and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, he was commissioned in 2000 into the 173 Field Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery, an arm often revered as the "Gods of War." By 2001 Lt Gautam Jain was serving with his regiment in the Rajouri district of Jammu & Kashmir under Operation Rakshak, where the unit had been inducted into the Kalakot area for counter-insurgency duties. On 1 November 2001, credible intelligence was received about the movement of terrorists in the Dambal Nala area near village Dahot, close to Kalakot. Three search parties were launched, one of them led by Lt Gautam Jain, and the cordon-and-search operation progressed through the night. By the next morning, it was Lt Gautam Jain's team that first made contact with the terrorists, who were positioned on higher ground and armed with automatic weapons. In the fierce gun-battle that followed, he led from the front with remarkable calm and clarity, directing the movement of his troops under sustained enemy fire to keep the cordon intact. He was struck by multiple bullets and grievously wounded, yet continued to fight with exceptional grit until his injuries proved fatal. Lt Gautam Jain made the supreme sacrifice in the finest traditions of the Indian Army and was posthumously honoured with the Badge of Sacrifice and the Certificate of Honour.