NEW DELHI: Colonel Sonam Wangchuk (Retd), one of the earliest heroes of the 1999 Kargil War and a Mahavir Chakra awardee, died on Friday following a heart attack at his residence in Ladakh. He was 61.
His career, spanning three decades and multiple theatres, came to be defined by a single night on a frozen ridge at 5,500 metres.
Born in 1964 in Leh, Col Wangchuk studied at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, and graduated in History from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University. He was commissioned through the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, into the 4th Battalion of the Assam Regiment.
He served across counter-insurgency deployments in the Northeast and India’s IPKF mission in Sri Lanka before moving to the Ladakh Scouts, the Army’s specialist high-altitude formation.
On the intervening night of May 30–31, 1999, then Major Wangchuk led a column tasked with securing Chorbat La in the Batalik sector. His men came under heavy fire during the advance. He did not pull back.
He launched what his gallantry citation called a “daring counter-ambush”, killed enemy soldiers, dislodged their positions, and secured the ridge.
The operation marked the first successful offensive action by Indian forces in the Kargil War.
For “exceptional bravery in extreme climatic conditions”, he was awarded the Mahavir Chakra, India’s second-highest wartime gallantry honour. Within the Ladakh Scouts, he remained what he always had been, a reference point for high-altitude leadership.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tribute to him, calling him a “proud son of Ladakh” who “exemplified resilience, steadfastness and service to the nation”, and said his actions during Operation Vijay “inspired his men under the most demanding high-altitude conditions.”
Army’s Ladakh-based 14 Corps (the Fire and Fury Corps) said he would be remembered for “exemplary courage and inspiring leadership in the Batalik sector”, adding that his “indomitable spirit and military acumen contributed significantly” to operations in some of the most challenging terrain on earth.