Captain Pramod Lal Yadav

Capt Pramod Lal Yadav hailed from Shivsinghpura village in Kethri Tehsil of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. Son of an army veteran, Maj Rang Lal and Smt Chandrawati Devi, Capt Pramod was born on  15th Aug 1969. Eldest among three siblings, Capt Pramod had a brother Rajneesh Lal (serving in the army) and a sister Pushpa. He did his school education from various schools in Bangalore, Mathura, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad, where his father was posted during his service career. He later graduated from Maharaja College in Jaipur.

Coming from a military family, he was inclined to join the armed forces right from his younger days. Consequently, he joined the army after getting selected through the Combined Defence Services Examination. He was commissioned on 21st Dec 1992 into the Regiment of Artillery at the age of 23 years. Later, he got trained as a Helicopter pilot and joined the Army Aviation Corps. After serving for a few years, Capt Pramod got married to Ms Nisha, and the couple had two kids, son Garvit and daughter Akruti. By the year 2002, Capt Pramod had put in around 9 years of service and had served in various challenging operational areas.

Op Parakram: 24 Jan 2002

In January 2002, Captain Pramod Lal Yadav was serving with the 3 (Independent) Reconnaissance and Observation Flight, a vital Army Aviation unit operating under the Army formation based in the high-altitude Leh sector of Jammu and Kashmir. At the time, the Indian Armed Forces were actively engaged in “Operation Parakram,” a large-scale military mobilisation launched in response to heightened tensions along the India-Pakistan border. Within this challenging operational environment, Capt Yadav and his unit were entrusted with conducting critical air operations to support Army troops deployed in some of the most remote, isolated, and inhospitable regions along the Line of Control (LoC). His responsibilities included reconnaissance, observation, and logistics support missions that were crucial for maintaining the morale, readiness, and operational effectiveness of soldiers stationed at forward posts. These demanding missions required flying in extreme weather conditions, across rugged mountainous terrain, and at high altitudes where thin air, unpredictable winds, and limited visibility constantly tested both aircraft performance and human endurance.

On 24th January 2002, Capt Pramod Lal Yadav was assigned yet another mission to provide aerial support to soldiers deployed at a forward post in the Turtuk area near the LoC in the Leh sector. The Turtuk region, located in the Nubra Valley, is renowned for its harsh climate, treacherous landscape, and strategic significance, making aerial operations there both operationally vital and exceptionally challenging. That day, Capt Yadav, along with Major Ajay Pal Singh Mahal as captain of the aircraft, took off as scheduled to execute the assigned task. Tragically, shortly after takeoff, the helicopter met with a catastrophic crash, leaving no opportunity for the aircrew to undertake emergency procedures or evasive action. Both Capt Pramod Lal Yadav and Major Ajay Pal Singh Mahal sustained fatal injuries and were martyred in the line of duty.

Capt Pramod Lal Yadav is survived by his father, an army veteran Maj Rang Lal, mother Smt Chandrawati Devi, wife Smt Nisha Lal, son Garvit, and daughter Akruti.