Raj Kumar

Biography

Lance Naik Raj Kumar was born on 15 March 1960 in Brass village of Karnal district, Haryana, to Shri Suraj Bhan Kaushik and Smt Janki Devi. Drawn to a life of service from an early age, he enrolled in the Indian Army on 5 January 1979 at the age of nineteen and was assigned to the 19 Punjab Battalion of The Punjab Regiment. Through more than a decade of service across challenging postings, he earned a reputation among his comrades for his discipline, dependability, and unwavering composure under fire. He married Smt Parkash Wati and built a quiet family life away from the frontlines. On 7 May 1990, his battalion was deployed for a search-and-cordon operation in the volatile Poonch district of Jammu & Kashmir, where militant activity had been steadily intensifying. Acting on credible intelligence, his team moved in to flush out a group of armed insurgents holed up in the area. As the cordon closed in, the militants opened heavy and indiscriminate fire on the advancing soldiers. Undeterred by the volume of incoming fire, Lance Naik Raj Kumar held his position and returned fire with remarkable precision, neutralising the immediate threat to his comrades. In the fierce exchange that followed, he was struck by enemy bullets and continued to engage the militants until he succumbed to his injuries. Lance Naik Raj Kumar laid down his life at the age of thirty in the highest traditions of the Indian Army, his courage and devotion to duty an enduring inspiration to his unit and the nation.