Sunil Kumar Choudhary, KC, SM

Biography

Captain Sunil Kumar Choudhary was born on 22 June 1980 at Govindsar village near Kathua in Jammu & Kashmir, the eldest of three brothers and known affectionately as "Soni". He studied at Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country wherever his father was posted, graduated from Garware College of Commerce, Pune, and later took a postgraduate degree from Garhwal University. An enthusiastic sportsman, he excelled at football, boxing and swimming, and competed at junior national level in swimming and diving. While pursuing an MBA in Marketing at Pune University, he was deeply inspired by the story of Param Vir Chakra recipient Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey and decided to join the Army. He cleared the CDS examination, joined the IMA on 1 July 2003, passed out on 10 December 2004, and was commissioned into 11 Gorkha Rifles, serving with the 7/11 battalion. Deployed for counter-insurgency operations in Assam, he proved a fearless and aggressive officer, earning a place on the ULFA hit list. On 27 January 2008, while leading an operation against ULFA militants at Ranggarh village in Tinsukia district, he chased and engaged fleeing terrorists, gunning down one and wounding another despite a grievous chest wound. In a final supreme effort he shot the third terrorist at close range before succumbing to his injuries. For his outstanding courage and supreme sacrifice he was awarded the Kirti Chakra.