Pranay Kalita

Biography

Havaldar Pranay Kalita hailed from Ghatbar Saderi village in the Barpeta district of Assam. Drawn to a life in uniform from his younger days, he worked steadily towards his goal and was eventually recruited into the 4 Assam Rifles battalion of the Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force of India with its headquarters at Shillong. The force was engaged in guarding the Indo-Myanmar border and in conducting counter-insurgency operations across the states of the North East. During 2020, his unit was deployed in Manipur's Chandel district along the Indo-Myanmar border, an area of responsibility affected by militancy. The troops maintained a demanding tempo of patrols and operations to keep insurgent activity in check. On 29 July 2020, the battalion launched an area domination patrol at Khongtal, a village under the jurisdiction of Chakpikarong in Chandel district, roughly 100 kilometres from Imphal. As the fifteen-man patrol, which included Havaldar Kalita, was returning from the operation, militants detonated improvised explosive devices and followed the blasts with heavy firing. The ambush was subsequently claimed by the Manipur Naga People's Front, the Revolutionary People's Front and the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent). The IED blast was devastating and gave the soldiers no time to react. Havaldar Pranay Kalita, along with Rifleman Methna Konyak and Rifleman Ratan Salam, was seriously wounded and succumbed to his injuries, while several other soldiers were evacuated for medical treatment. A valiant and dedicated soldier, Havaldar Pranay Kalita laid down his life in the line of duty.