Grenadier Habib Khan

Grenadier Habib Khan hailed from Nimod village of Didwana Tehsil in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan and was born in the year 1980. Gdr Habib Khan wanted to serve in the Armed Forces since his childhood like many lads in his village and eventually joined the Indian Army after completing his school education. He was recruited into 6 Grenadiers of the Grenadiers Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers with a rich history of various battle honours.

Operation Parakram (J&K) : 18 Sept 2002

During 2002, Gdr Habib Khan’s unit 6 Grenadiers battalion was deployed in the Rajouri district of J&K as part of the ongoing “Operation Parakram”.  As a number of militants were active in the AOR(Area of Responsibility) of the unit, the troops were engaged in counter-insurgency and counter-infiltration operations on a regular basis. On 17th Sept 2002, Gdr Habib Khan’s unit had received information from intelligence sources about the presence of terrorists in a village in its AOR in Rajouri district. It was decided to launch a search and destroy operation to flush out the terrorists. Gdr Habib Khan was made part of the team that was assigned to undertake this operation. 

In the early morning of 18 Sept 2002, Gdr Habib Khan and his comrades reached the suspected area and cordoned off the area to hem in the terrorists. Gdr Habib Khan and his comrades observed some suspicious movement and soon made contact with the terrorists. However, one of the terrorists found a gap in the cordon and escaped in the near by field. Gdr Habib Khan observed that and chased the terrorist. In the ensuing gun battle, Gdr Habib Khan displaying commendable courage, managed to eliminate the terrorist. However, during the heavy exchange of fire, Gdr Habib Khan too sustained serious injuries. He later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Gdr Habib Khan was a courageous and dedicated soldier, who laid down his life at the young age of 22 years in the service of the nation.

• The 'State Govt Higher Secondary School' in his village Nimod in Nagaur district of Rajasthan has been named as "Shaheed Habib Khan Rajkiya Utchh Madhyamik Vidyalaya" in his honour.