Ratan Kumar Pradhan

Biography

Sepoy Ratan Kumar Pradhan hailed from Barbil town in the Kendujhar district of Odisha. After completing his school education, he joined the Indian Army and was recruited into the 2nd Battalion of the Naga Regiment, one of the youngest regiments of the Army, which carries the motto "Valour triumphs". During July 1999, his unit was deployed in the Drass sector of Jammu & Kashmir along the Line of Control as part of Operation Vijay. Following the capture of Tiger Hill, the next major objective was Point 4875, a feature dominating the national highway between Mugalpur and Drass. In a two-phase assault, 2 Naga was tasked with capturing the position known as Twin Bumps. On the night of 5/6 July 1999, Sepoy Pradhan and his comrades launched a fierce attack on the enemy positions. Despite stiff opposition, they made steady progress and secured their objective by 7 July, enabling subsequent raids that proved pivotal to the operation's success. During this fierce battle Sepoy Pradhan was seriously injured and later succumbed to his wounds, laying down his life in the line of duty.