Hari Bahadur Ghale, SM

Biography

Naik Hari Bahadur Ghale hailed from Dugal Khola village in the Almora district of Uttarakhand. After completing his school education, he joined the Army and was recruited into the 2nd Battalion of the Naga Regiment, one of the youngest regiments of the Indian Army, raised on 11 February 1985 at Haldwani. During July 1999, his unit was deployed in the Drass sector of Jammu & Kashmir along the Line of Control during the Kargil War. Following the capture of Tiger Hill, the next major objective was Point 4875, a dominating feature overlooking the national highway. In a two-phase assault involving several units, 2 Naga was tasked with capturing the Twin Bumps by first light of 7 July 1999. On the night of 5/6 July, Naik Ghale and his comrades launched a fierce attack on the enemy positions. Despite stiff resistance, they made steady progress and secured the objective as planned. The capture of Twin Bumps enabled a raid that destroyed an enemy mortar position and provided a firm base for further operations against Rocky Knob. During this fierce fighting, Naik Ghale was seriously wounded and later succumbed to his injuries. For his courage, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice, he was awarded the Sena Medal.