Ganga Ram Rai

Biography

Havaldar Ganga Ram Rai hailed from Solan village in the Diktel district of Nepal. After completing his school education, he joined the Army and was recruited into the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, a battalion of the 11 Gorkha Rifles regiment renowned for the bravery of its soldiers. Over the course of his service he served in various challenging operational areas, and by 1999 had risen to the rank of Havaldar. During June-July 1999, his unit was deployed in the Batalik sector of Ladakh as part of Operation Vijay under the 70 Infantry Brigade. The enemy's most formidable defences lay along the Khalubar-Padma Go Ridgeline, and 1/11 GR was tasked with capturing Khalubar. Ganga Ram Rai served in Platoon No. 5 of 'B' Company, under Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey. On the night of 2/3 July 1999, the assault team advanced towards Pahalwan Chowki en route to Khalubar, facing heavy fire from all surrounding heights. After an exhausting seven-hour climb, they engaged the enemy bunkers, and Ganga Ram Rai and his comrades succeeded in capturing six of them. During the intense exchange of fire he was gravely wounded and later succumbed to his injuries on the battlefield, laying down his life in the line of duty.