Pramod Negi

Biography

Paratrooper Pramod Negi was born on 15 August 1997 in Shillai village, Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, into a family with strong military roots — his younger brother too went on to serve in the armed forces. Driven by a long-cherished desire to wear the uniform, he enlisted in the Indian Army in 2017 at the age of 19 and was selected into the elite 9 Para (Special Forces) battalion of the Parachute Regiment, where he took part in counter-insurgency and internal security operations in some of the most volatile sectors of the country. On 5 May 2023, his unit was engaged in a fierce firefight against terrorists fortified in a cave position deep inside the Kandi Forest of Rajouri. During the assault, the militants triggered powerful explosives, causing devastating casualties. Paratrooper Negi succumbed to his injuries at the age of 25, alongside four of his comrades. For his commendable courage, devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice, Paratrooper Pramod Negi was posthumously awarded a Mention-in-Despatches.