Raj Bahadur, SC

Biography

Naib Subedar Raj Bahadur hailed from Barang village in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. Known from his early years for his discipline, determination and a strong sense of duty toward the nation, he joined the Indian Army and was enrolled into the 16 Dogra Battalion of The Dogra Regiment. He was later deputed to the 62 Rashtriya Rifles, a specialised counter-insurgency unit operating in Jammu & Kashmir. In May 2006, his unit was tasked with search-and-cordon operations against militants active in the Srinagar area. Acting on credible intelligence about armed terrorists hiding in a residential house, his team established a tight cordon on the night of 15 May 2006. Through the long hours of darkness, Naib Subedar Raj Bahadur maintained complete alertness in the face of intermittent fire from the holed-up terrorists. At first light on 16 May 2006, he spotted one terrorist attempting to reposition and engaged him with a precise shot, wounding him. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he then advanced through intense gunfire and closed in on a second terrorist, neutralising him at close quarters. As he moved towards the first militant, the wounded terrorist fired at point-blank range, hitting him fatally. For his conspicuous gallantry, indomitable spirit and supreme sacrifice in the face of armed terrorists, Naib Subedar Raj Bahadur was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra on 26 January 2007.