Grenadier Abdul Mazid Khan

Grenadier Abdul Mazid Khan hailed from Dholiya vllage of Ladnun tehsil in Nagaur district of Rajasthan and was born on 15 Nov 1980. Son of an army veteran Chand Khan and Smt Rahisa Bano, Gdr Abdul Mazid had one brother Mansab Khan and two sisters Muniya Bano and Roshni Bano as his siblings. Right from his younger days, he always wished to follow in the footsteps of his father and don the Army uniform. Following his dream, he joined the army on 29 Jul 1999 at the age of 19 years. He was recruited into the 5 Grenadiers Battalion of the Grenadiers, an infantry Regiment known for its gallant soldiers and a string of battle exploits.

After serving for a few years he got married to Ms. Arasi and the couple was blessed with two sons, Sameer Khan and Arman Khan. By 2006, he had put in nearly 7 years of service and developed into a fine and committed soldier. 

Sikkim Operation : 13/14 Feb 2006

During February 2006, Gdr Abdul Mazid's unit 5 Grenadier battalion, was deployed in Sikkim near the Indo-China border. The AOR(Area of Responsibility) of the unit spanned over remote rugged mountainous terrain with extreme weather conditions especially in the winter season. The troops were deployed on various forward posts and often undertook patrol to monitor the area in between the manned posts. Also, heavy snowfall often blocked the roads and hampered the movement of troops which necessitated frequent clearance operations. The mountainous roads in the AOR of the unit were narrow and had steep gradients posing serious challenges to the quick movement of troops. Gdr Abdul Mazid and his comrades were tasked for an operation on 13 Feb 2006 and had to move by road to the operational area.

As the troops were traversing through the planned route, the vehicle carrying Gdr Abdul Mazid and his comrades, skidded off the road and got stuck in a precarious position.  Gdr Abdul Mazid and other soldiers got trapped inside the vehicle and had to be rescued. Gdr Abdul Mazid without caring for his own safety lent a helping hand in extricating other soldiers. He continued to do so to save as many soldiers as possible. However while Gdr Abdul Mazid was busy helping other soldiers, the vehicle skidded off further and fell into a deep gorge along with Gdr Abdul Mazid and two other soldiers. They sustained serious injuries and were transferred to a field hospital. However, Gdr Abdul Mazid succumbed to his injuries after fighting for life for a day on 15 Feb 2006 and was martyred. Gdr Abdul Mazid was a gallant and committed soldier who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of his duty.

Gdr Abdul Mazid Khan is survived by his wife Smt  Arasi Khan and sons Shri Sameer Khan and Shri Arman Khan.