Sameer J Roy Choudhury

Biography

Captain Sameer J Roy Choudhury hailed from Secunderabad and was born on 06 July 1980. He completed his schooling at St Patrick's High School, Secunderabad, where he excelled in various activities and led the school's NCC wing. Drawn to the Armed Forces since childhood, he followed his heart and joined the Army, being commissioned into the Corps of Signals — the arm of the Indian Army responsible for providing reliable and responsive military communications under tough battlefield conditions, guided by its motto "Teevra Chaukas" ("Swift and Secure"). Captain Choudhury gradually developed into a tough and capable soldier, gaining expertise in field operations. Early in his career he was deputed to serve with the 19 Assam Rifles battalion deployed in Manipur for counter-insurgency operations. The battalion operated under "Operation Hifazat" and was engaged against insurgents on a regular basis. Its area of responsibility was prone to sudden attacks, and the prolonged deployment in remote, inaccessible terrain under hostile weather conditions imposed high stress levels on the troops. On 03 November 2006, under very strange and unexpected circumstances, a soldier of the unit went berserk and opened fire on his own unit personnel, including Captain Choudhury. The action was so sudden and bizarre that there was no time to take any evasive measures. Captain Choudhury and a junior commissioned officer, Subedar Ranjit Mamon, were critically injured and later succumbed to their wounds. A true soldier and an officer par excellence, Captain Sameer J Roy Choudhury laid down his life in the line of duty under these most unfortunate circumstances.