Amit Verma

Biography

Captain Amit Verma was born on 31 August 1976 in Amritsar, Punjab, into a family with a long tradition of military service — he was a fourth-generation Army officer, his grandfather a retired Major and his father a retired Colonel, both of whom had served in earlier wars. He began his schooling at the Army Public School in Delhi and later graduated from Symbiosis College, Pune. From his early years he was an all-rounder, excelling not only academically but also in sports, quizzing and dramatics. Selected for the Indian Army, he joined the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun in June 1997. In December 1998 he was commissioned into 9 Mahar of the renowned Mahar Regiment, and on 1 January 1999 he reported for duty with his battalion at Leh. Raised in a military household, a life of discipline and valour was his calling. In early May 1999, local shepherds reported Pakistani intrusions in the Leh district of Jammu & Kashmir, and tensions rapidly escalated into the Kargil War. It was on 3 May 1999, in the Leh sector, that Captain Amit Verma laid down his life in the service of the nation, upholding his family's proud legacy of sacrifice.