Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey Martyrdom Day: Remembering Kargil War Hero And Param Vir Chakra Awardee on His Death Anniversary

Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey, Param Vir Chakra, sacrificed is life while fighting for the nation during the Kargil War of 1999 with Pakistan on July 3. After the intrusion in the Kargil was reported, Lieutenant Pandey’s battalion 1/11 Gorkha Rifles was asked to move to the Batalik sector in in the district. The 1/11 Gorkha Rifles battalion had finished a one-and-a-half year tenure in the Siachen Glacier and was on-the-move to its peace-time location in Pune.

The unit, commanded by Colonel Lalit Rai, was assigned responsibility of the Jubar Kukarthaam and Khalubar areas and their battalion headquarters was in Yeldor. Lt Pandey, was involved in a series of boldly led attacks. He also took part in a series of actions which led to the capture of Jubar Top. In early July, ‘B’ Company of 1/11 GR was assigned the task to capture Khalubar top.

Lt Pandey was commanding a Platoon in this company. His platoon came under heavy enemy firing. Displaying great courage, he surged ahead of his troops and charged at the enemy with a full-throat battle cry through a hail of bullets. Fearlessly assaulting the first enemy position, he killed two enemy personnel and destroyed the second position by killing two more. Time to know our ‘Real STARS’.

Although wounded in the shoulder and leg, he continued to lead the assault on the enemy positions. He destroyed four enemy bunkers. He motivated his men and destroyed the fourth enemy position with a grenade, even as he got a fatal burst on his forehead. He collapsed at the final bunker and succumbed to his injuries.Lt Pandey was awarded PVC for his bravery. ‘I Have No Regrets, In Fact Even If I Become a Human Again I’ll Join The Army’: Shaheed Captain Vijayant Thapar, Kargil War 1999 Hero’s Last Letter.

Lt Pandey was born on 25 June 1975 in Rudha village, in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh. During his Services Selection Board (SSB) interview, the interviewer asked him, “Why do you want to join the Army?” He immediately replied, “I want to win the Param Vir Chakra.” He kept his word. He graduated from the National Defence Academy in 90th course and was commissioned into the 1st battalion, 11 Gorkha Rifles in June 1997.