Capt K Ravishankar

Capt K Ravishankar hailed from the historic town of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu and was born on 15th Jan 1969. Son of Shri R Krishnamurthi, who worked with Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Capt Ravishankar had three sisters as his siblings. He did his initial schooling at St Joseph of Cluny and Jawahar Higher Secondary School at Neyveli. He was a brilliant student and had varied interests. He was an avid reader and was very fond of birds, animals, and children. After clearing his HSC exams, without any additional coaching, he successfully got through the highly competitive BITS Pilani admission process. He completed his BE in Civil engineering from BITS Pilani in 1990 and went to work for a company in Mumbai. Subsequently he got selected for the Army and joined the prestigious Indian Military Academy Dehradun.

He passed out of the IMA after the successful completion of his training in 1993 as a Lieutinant at the age of 23 years. He was commissioned into the 118 Engr Regiment in the Corps of Engineers, an important combat support arm of the Indian Army.  He was posted to a field location in Arunachal Pradesh as his first assignment. After serving for a few years with his parent regiment, belonging to the Bombay Engineer Group, he was deputed to serve with 20 Rashtriya Rifles battalion deployed in J&K for counter-insurgency operations.

Op Rakshak (J&K): 06 December 1997 

During 1997, Capt K Ravishankar's unit 20 RR Battalion was deployed in J&K and was engaged in operations against the militants on a regular basis as part of "Operation Rakshak".  Indian Army's 20th Rashtriya Rifles battalion was raised on 01 May 1994 in Varanasi with Col VP Singh as its first Commanding Officer. Thereafter it participated in various counter terrorist operations. In J&K, the AOR(Area of Responsibility) of the unit covered the Doda district, which was a hotbed of militant activities. Thus the unit troops had to be on guard at all times and undertook counter-insurgency operations on a frequent basis. Based on the information from the intelligence sources, Capt K Ravishankar was tasked with one such operation on 06 Dec 1997. 

On 06 Dec 1997, Capt K Ravishankar along with his troops reached the suspected area in Doda district and launched the search and cordon operation. Soon the troops came under attack by the terrorists, who felt cornered and threatened. Capt Ravishankar along with his soldiers immeditely swung into action and a fierce gun battle followed therafter. In the heavy exchange of fire, Capt Ravishankar recived gun shots and got grievously injured. However, Capt Ravishankar later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Capt K Ravishankar’s brave act not only saved the lives of his fellow soldiers but also inspired them to engage the terrorists successfully. Capt K Ravishankar was a valiant soldier and a gritty officer, who led from the front and laid down his life at the age of 27 years in the line of his duty.

Capt K Ravishankar is survived by his parents and three sisters.