Kalu Ram Jakhar

Biography

Kalu Ram Jakhar was born on 12 July 1974 in Khedi Charna village of Bhopalgarh tehsil, Jodhpur district, Rajasthan, to Shri Gangaram Jakhar and Smt Keli Devi. He received his early education at his village school and joined the Army on 28 April 1994 at the age of nineteen, enlisting in the 17 Jat battalion of the Jat Regiment, an infantry unit renowned for its brave soldiers and numerous battle honours. During July 1999, his unit was deployed in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir as part of Operation Vijay, tasked alongside 13 JAK Rifles with capturing Point 4875 in the Dras sector. The assault began at 2100 hours on 4 July 1999. Under heavy enemy fire, Sepoy Kalu Ram and his comrades pressed forward and succeeded in capturing two enemy bunkers. During the fight for the third bunker, an enemy shell struck him in the thigh, wounding him grievously. Displaying rare courage and resolve, he used a rocket launcher to destroy the enemy's third bunker before succumbing to his injuries. He was 24 years old.