These four men in uniform were in the line of fire in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir. They fought bravely to safeguard the honour and integrity of the country and trained their juniors in the battlefront even as they fought against the enemy and the vagaries of the rough terrain. They died while performing their duty during the month of April.
“Maddy” had Chosen Army over Journalism
Thirteen days after celebrating his 31st birthday, Major Mukund Vardarajan nicknamed ‘Maddy’ of Tambram, Tamil Nadu, was at a battle front at Karewa Malino village, in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, some 55 kms from summer capital Srinagar, to take on the militants.
He was leading an operation on April 25 to flush out three Hizbul Mujahideen militants, who were hiding in a house there. Sepoy Vikram Singh was also part of the team which had pinned the militant positions and was taking them head on. According to the officials present at the scene of the encounter, Major Mukund and his team risked their personal safety to evacuate the civilians from the houses including the one from where militants were hiding and firing on them.
After killing two militants in the initial firefight, Major Mukund and Sepoy Vikram volunteered to take on and eliminate the third militant, whose effective fire was posing a threat to soldiers who had taken positions around the place where the militant was holed up. Major Mukund and Vikram sustained grievous injuries during the firefight. Vikram breathed his last and Mukund, despite being critically injured, fought bravely till the last militant was killed. After the end of the operation, Major Mukund was evacuated to army hospital in Srinagar where he succumbed to his injuries. Major Mukund had celebrated his 31st birthday on April 12.
Born on April 12, 1983, he had done his B Com from Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya at Selaiyur and diploma in Journalism from Madras Christian College, Tambaram. However, having passion for the forces, he joined the Army and was commissioned into 22 Rajput Regiment on March 18, 2006 from Officers Training Academy, Chennai. Nicknamed ‘Maddy’, he, according to his colleagues and superiors, had a fine sense of humour. “He was a keen professional soldier and had excelled in training.”
He had been posted with 44 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion, army’s counter insurgency force in Shopian, Kashmir in December 2012 and according to his colleagues, he was an outstanding soldier and exceptional human being. “He was fearless, bold, extremely confident and a very cheerful person,” they said. Major Mukund had also served in the Infantry School in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, and in Lebanon on a United Nations Mission. He is survived by his wife Mrs Indhu Mukund and three yeal old daughter Arshea.
The Epitome of Soldiering Excellence
Sepoy Vikram Singh, who was also killed in the Shopian encounter on April 25 belonged to Rewari, Haryana, which has a fine tradition of soldiering. He was born on March 15, 1983 and enrolled into the Rajput Regiment of Army on October 7, 2002. Like Major Mukund, Vikram was posted with 44 Rashtria Rifles in Kashmir since December 2012. He had been with 44 Rashtria Rifles since December 19, 2012.
According to his colleagues and superiors, Vikram was a soft-spoken gentle giant. “He (Vikram) was the epitome of soldiering excellence. He participated in many anti-militancy operations and always volunteered for risky tasks,” they said. Vikram is survived by his wife, Sushila and son, Master Abhishek Kumar. According to army officials, Vikram participated in Operation Pinzur in Shopian district on February 13, 2014 in which two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed. “He actively participated in that operation and was part of the assault team that killed the militants”. A top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was killed in the gunfight. He was one of the wanted militants and security forces were hunting for him from a long time. Vikram had also participated in another anti-militancy operation in Shopian on June 1, 2013, in which two militants were killed. The encounter between militants and the security forces lasted for nearly 26 hours.
Leader in the difficult terrain
On April 7, the Army launched an operation in Panchalthan (Chaugam) village in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district to flush out the militants hiding there. Major Rahul Singh led the operation in the difficult terrain and slippery ground conditions due to continuous rainfall. While commanding his troops, he lost his balance and slipped. He fell 10-15 meters down in a ridge and sustained critical head injuries. He succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Born on June 18, 1983, Major Rahul belonged to Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. According to his colleagues and superiors, he was an outstanding soldier and an exceptional human being. They said he was a passionate soldier and had a fine sense of humour. He was a keen soldier, who had excelled in training and had a good leadership quality. Major Rahul was commissioned into 2 SIKH LI on June 11, 2005. He was posted in 19 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in Kashmir since August 2013. He is survived by wife Pallavi Singh and 2 year old daughter Namasya.
Master Trainer of Operations
Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) Naib Subedar Kankanwadi Duradundi Irappa, who had spent 18 years in Jammu and Kashmir, was killed in a fierce gunfight with militants at Zoonareshi, Chowkibal near Line of Control (LoC) in border district of Kupwara on April 8. Two militants including top commander of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba and two policemen were killed in the gunfight.
Irappa’s death is a great loss for the army. He was an experienced soldier and had participated in many anti-militancy operations and lead from the front. Born on June 1, 1969 in an agricultural family in Aralagondi village of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Irappa joined the prestigious Maratha Light Infantry regiment on October 28, 1988. According to his colleagues and superiors, his cheerful disposition, jovial nature and active participation in sports activities made him noticeable and prominent. “His dedication and devotion towards work and duty made him the affectionate lad of the battalion,” they say. In 1992, he married Suverna and was blessed with two girls and a boy. He trained young soldiers and shared his experiences of battle front with them. He made them understand the very vitals of the operation.