Aziz Mohd, SC

Biography

Lance Havildar Aziz Mohd hailed from Patta Paryali village in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. Drawn from an early age to a life in uniform, he joined the Indian Army and was assigned to the 20th Battalion of the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles, a unit with a distinguished record of service in counter-insurgency operations. On 11 May 2008, his battalion was engaged in counter-insurgency and internal security operations in the Samba sector of Jammu & Kashmir. Acting on specific intelligence about a group of armed terrorists holding nine civilians hostage at Kali Mandi, Lance Havildar Aziz Mohd was part of the rescue team that closed in on the location. As the operation unfolded, the terrorists opened heavy fire on the advancing soldiers. Displaying raw courage and presence of mind, he led the assault from the front, working his way through intense enemy fire to safely extract the nine hostages from harm's way. Although gravely wounded in the action, he refused to fall back and engaged the terrorists in close combat, neutralising two of them before succumbing to his injuries. For his exceptional valour, steadfastness and supreme sacrifice in the face of extreme odds, Lance Havildar Aziz Mohd was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra on 26 January 2009.