Arjun Ram Baswana

Biography

Sepoy Arjun Ram Baswana hailed from Guddi village in the Pokaran tehsil of Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan, where he was born on 5 October 1976. A hardy young man of rural Rajasthan, he excelled at kabaddi, hockey and wrestling, and carried that same vigour into uniform when he was enrolled into the Jat Regiment on 20 October 1996, joining its 4th Battalion. During Operation Vijay in 1999, his battalion held the Kaksar sector. On 15 May 1999, he was part of the patrol led by Captain Saurabh Kalia that set out to verify reports of intrusion near Bajrang Post. The patrol was ambushed by well dug-in Pakistani troops, and after fighting until their ammunition ran out the soldiers were captured. Sepoy Arjun Ram bore nearly three weeks of severe torture in captivity without betraying his duty. His remains were handed back on 9 June 1999, carrying the marks of the cruelty he had suffered. He made the supreme sacrifice for the nation and is remembered with deep reverence for his fortitude and unflinching devotion to duty.