Rohitash Kumar

Biography

Rifleman Rohitash Kumar was born on 1 July 1996 in Nagla Loka village of Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh. The son of a farmer, he was the eldest of three siblings and completed his early education at J.P. Sharma Higher Secondary School in Jagdishpur. He drew inspiration from his uncle, Omprakash Singh, a soldier who was martyred in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir on 19 October 2014. With his younger siblings still studying and his father unwell, Rohitash learned to shoulder responsibility from an early age. A keen sportsman, he was an accomplished athlete during his school days, often winning prizes in running, long jump and high jump. He joined the Indian Army on 15 November 2015 and was assigned to The Rajputana Rifles. After training at the regimental centre in Delhi Cantt, he was posted to Assam and, during 2018, served with the 77 Infantry Brigade in the North-East. On 28 March 2018, while on patrol duty in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, his patrol party was struck by a mine blast around 4:40 pm. Rifleman Rohitash Kumar was grievously wounded in the explosion and laid down his life at the age of 22.