Service No : 3172590X
Date of Birth : July 16, 1961
Place of birth : Jhunjhunu (Raj)
Service : Army
Last Rank : Havildar
Unit : 8 Jat
Arm/Regt : The Jat Regiment
Operation : Op Vijay ( Kargil )
Awards : Vir Chakra
Martyrdom : July 9, 1999
Hav Sis Ram Gill VrC
Havildar Sis Ram Gill hailed from Vishanpura (Brahman ki dhani) village in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. Son of Shri Shankara Ram Gill and Smt Rajkauri Devi, he was born on 16 July 1961 and was brought up by Shri Sardara Ram and Smt Suraji Devi as their adopted son. After completing his schooling at Bada Gaon in Dausa district, he joined the Indian Army on 06 Dec 1979 at the age of 18 years. He was enrolled into the 8 Jat Battalion of the Jat Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its gallant soldiers with a long history of numerous battle exploits.
After serving for some time, he got married to Ms Santara Devi on 20 Apr 1980. Subsequently, the couple was blessed with two sons, Vijay Singh & Kailash Singh, and a daughter Dimple. By the year 1999, he had put in close to 20 years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Havildar.
Op Vijay (Kargil War): 08/09 July 1999
During 1999, Hav Sis Ram Gill's unit 8 Jat battalion was deployed in J & K along the LOC. In 1999, the Indian Army detected a massive infiltration by the Pakistani military and paramilitary forces in the Kargil region of Jammu and Kashmir. The army quickly mobilized its forces to drive out the Pakistani infiltrators from Indian territory. At that time, the 8 Jat Battalion was functioning under the 28 Infantry Division (Vajr Division) headquartered at Kupwara in J&K with overall control being exercised by XV Corps. It was one of many battalions deployed in the region as part of "Op Vijay" to give a befitting reply to the aggression of Pakistani forces. During that period, the west of the Kaobal Gali, beyond Zoji La Pass, fell in the area of responsibility (AOR) 28 Infantry Division. Zoji La Pass located about 100 Km from Srinagar was in the Drass subdivision and connected the Kashmir valley to its west with the Drass and Suru valleys to its northeast and the Indus valley further east. It provided a vital link between Ladakh and the Kashmir Valley. It was important to ensure that the attempts of the enemy to intrude into the territory on the Indian side of the LoC were nipped in the bud. Hence, vigorous patrolling was resorted to and operations were launched to dominate the LoC and the areas across it by observation and fire.
In one such operation by the 8 Jat battalion, Hav Sis Ram Gill was assigned the task of leading a team for the domination of a 17,000-foot-high feature close to the LoC over extremely difficult and rugged terrain. On 08 July 1999, Hav Sis Ram Gill led from the front and scaled a steep cliff with his team, using special mountaineering equipment. The approach of his team was detected by the enemy who opened up a machine gun and mortar fire and then brought down effective artillery fire on his team. Undaunted, Hav Gill continued to move forward with his team. He was severely injured in the leg, but disregarding his own injury, he motivated his men to fire back at the enemy position. He maintained a calm demeanour, took careful aim, and repeatedly fired his sniper rifle at the enemy position. He was successful in killing six enemy personnel and injuring another four. In spite of being grievously injured, he refused to be evacuated and continued to fight valiantly. He finally succumbed to his injuries at 0300 hours on 9 July 1999. Besides Hav Sis Ram Gill, four other soldiers of the 8 Jat Battalion laid down their lives in this entire operation. The other martyred brave hearts of the 8 Jat Battalion included Hav Lachhaman Singh, Lance Naik Azad Singh, Sep Pavitra Kumar Sheoran, and Sep Narender Singh. Hav Sis Ram Gill was a valiant and committed soldier, who displayed gallantry and devotion to duty of a very high order during the operation and made the supreme sacrifice. Hav Sis Ram Gill was awarded “Vir Chakra” posthumously for displaying commendable courage, camaraderie, and supreme sacrifice.
Hav Sis Ram Gill is survived by his wife Smt Santara Devi, sons, Shri Vijay Singh & Shri Kailash Singh, and daughter Ms Dimple.
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