Hav Susarjit Barla

Hav Susarjit Barla hailed from Narsingpur village of Gumla district in Jharkhand and was born in the year 1990. Son of Shri Rela Barla, he joined the Assam Rifles after completing his school education. He was recruited into the 29 Assam Rif battalion of Assam Rifles, the oldest para-military force in India with its headquarters at Shillong.  

Manipur Ambush: 22 May 2016

During 2016, Hav Susarjit Barla's unit 29 Assam Rif battalion, was deployed in Manipur for counter-insurgency operations. There had been increased militant activity in the border region of Manipur in the early part of the year 2015. In response to this, 1,463 km of an un-fenced border between Manipur and Myanmar had been sealed and the Army and paramilitary forces had launched a major counter-offensive against the militants which continued in the year 2016 too.  Since the AOR ( Area Of Responsibility) of the battalion was affected with militant activity, the troops had to be on guard at all times. The unit was engaged in operations against the militants on a regular basis and Hav Susarjit Barla took part in many such operations.

On 22 May 2016, Hav Susarjit Barla as part of the Commandant's QRT (Quick Reaction Team) was tasked to assess a landslide area falling in the unit's AOR in Chandel district.  A number of militants from NSCN(K), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) and Kanglapak Communist Party (KCP) were active in that area. As Hav Susarjit Barla and his comrades were returning after assessing the landslide area, the militants attacked them near the Shiv Mandir area about 15 km from the Myanmar border, in a pre-planned move at around 1140 hrs. It was a three-vehicle convoy and the attack was directed at the first vehicle carrying Hav Susarjit Barla and five other soldiers. The soldiers swung into action and retaliated forcing the militants to flee. However, in the fierce exchange of fire, Hav Susarjit Barla and five other soldiers received gunshots and got severely injured. They soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Besides Hav Susarjit Barla the other five martyred brave hearts included Sub Baldev Kumar Sharma, Rifleman Mahesh Singh, Rifleman Bhupender Kumar, Rfn Akhilesh Kumar Pandey, and Rifleman Pawan Kumar Singh. Hav Susarjit Barla was a valiant and dedicated soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 26 years in the service of the nation.