Kuldeep Kumar

Biography

Sepoy Kuldeep Kumar hailed from Dida Sainian village in Dinanagar Tehsil of the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, where he was born on 26 January 1981 to Shri Bant Ram and Smt Mohindro Devi. He completed his schooling up to the 12th class at the Government Senior Secondary School, Dinanagar. Drawn to a life of service, he joined the Indian Army in March 2000 at the age of 19 and was recruited into the 6 Dogra battalion of the Dogra Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its gallant soldiers and numerous battle honours. After serving for a couple of years with his parent unit, in April 2003 he was deputed to the 11 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, deployed in Jammu & Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. By that time he had put in around three years of service and had matured into a tough and dedicated soldier. With militants active in the unit's area of responsibility in the Doda district, the troops maintained a high state of preparedness and launched operations at short notice. On 8 November 2003, acting on intelligence about the presence of hardcore militants in Nidgaon village, the security forces mounted an operation in which Sepoy Kuldeep Kumar was part of the team from 11 RR. Reaching the suspected village, he and his comrades cordoned off the area. As the operation unfolded, the militants hiding there attacked the troops in an attempt to break the cordon and escape, triggering a fierce gun battle with heavy exchange of fire. Displaying commendable courage, Sepoy Kuldeep Kumar fought valiantly alongside his comrades, but during the exchange a bullet pierced his chest. He soon succumbed to his injuries, laying down his life at the age of 22 in the line of duty.