Havildar Abdul Majid KC

Havildar Abdul Majid hailed from Ajote village of the Poonch district in J&K. He had a brother and four sisters as his siblings. He came from a family, wherein many of its members served in the Armed Forces, so he too grew up with an inclination to serve in the Army. Consequently, he joined the army, after completing his school education. He was recruited into the Parachute Regiment, an elite infantry Regiment well known for its daredevil para commandos and numerous bold operations. Later he decided to volunteer for Special Forces and was inducted into the elite 9 Para(SF), a unit raised in 1966 that specialized in Mountain Warfare and Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorism operations. After serving for some time, he got married to Ms Sagera Bi and the couple had two sons and a daughter. 

Rajouri Encounter (J&K) : 22 Nov 2023

During Nov 2023, Hav Abdul Majid’s unit 9 Para(SF) was deployed in the Rajouri sector of the Kashmir valley, as part of the 'Romeo' force functioning under the operational control of XVI Corps of the Indian Army.  As the area of responsibility (AOR) of the unit fell in the region infested with militants, the unit had to undertake counter-insurgency operations regularly. Based on the information from the intelligent sources, the unit decided to launch a search and cordon operation along with 63 RR and J&K Police on 22 Nov 2023. Accordingly, a joint operation was launched on the intervening night of 21/22 Nov 2023 along with elements of 9 Para(SF), 63 RR, and J & K Police. As planned the joint team reached the suspected Kalakote area of Gulabgarh forest in Rajouri district and launched the cordon and search operation. Hav Abdul Majid as squad commander of the 9 Para(SF) was part of the joint force that was tasked to undertake this operation. 

As the search operation was underway, the terrorists sensing the danger fired at the troops in a bid to escape. A fierce gun battle ensued thereafter with a heavy exchange of fire from both sides. The terrorists including their leader were holed up in a dhok (Temporary thatched roof mud house) and were targeting the troops from there. Capt MV Pranjal, of 63 RR sensing the lurking danger and in a bid to save the lives of civilians, particularly women and children, came out of his cover to pin down the terrorists. However, while doing so, Capt MV Pranjal got caught in the volley of fire, sustaining bullet injuries. Hav Abdul Majid along with his squad moved to evacuate Capt MV Pranjal. Bringing down heavy fire to pin down the terrorists, he crawled forward and evacuated Capt MV Pranjal to a safe area, and returned to his position. Displaying exceptional courage he manoeuvred his squad near the natural cave where the terrorists were hiding and firing indiscriminately. Despite being hit by a bullet in his leg during firing and bleeding profusely he closed in with the terrorist hiding in the cave and lobbed a grenade inside, which forced the injured terrorist to come out of the cave. Sensing danger to their troops, Hav Majid swiftly changed his position and charged towards the terrorist killing him at close quarters before succumbing to his injuries. The operation continued and eventually, all the terrorists were neutralized. However, besides Hav Abdul Majid, four other brave hearts from 9 Para(SF) and 63 RR also lost their lives during the operation. The other martyred soldiers included Capt MV Pranjal, Capt Shubham Gupta, L/Nk Sanjay Bisht, and Paratrooper Sachin Laur. Hav Abdul Majid was a valiant and devoted soldier, who displayed remarkable courage during the operation and laid down his life in the service of the nation. Hav Abdul Majid was given the nation’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, “Kirti Chakra” for his outstanding courage, devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice.

Hav Abdul Majid is survived by his parents, wife Smt Sagera Bi, two sons, a daughter, a brother, and four sisters.

The citation for the ‘Kirti Chakra’ awarded to him reads :

Havildar Abdul Majid was a squad commander of the 9th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) operating in Jammu and Kashmir since 2011.

On 22 November 2023, during a search operation in forested areas of Rajouri district, his squad moved to evacuate Captain MV Pranjal of 63 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion who was mortally wounded due to a terrorist’s fire. Bringing down heavy fire to pin down the terrorists, he crawled forward evacuated the officer to a safe area, and returned back to his position. Displaying exceptional tactical acumen he manoeuvred his squad near the natural cave where the terrorists were hiding and firing indiscriminately. Despite being hit by a bullet in his leg during firing and bleeding profusely he closed in with the terrorist hiding in the cave and lobbed a grenade inside, which forced the injured terrorist to come out of the cave. Sensing danger to own troops, Havildar Majid swiftly changed his position and charged towards the terrorist killing him at close quarters before succumbing to his injuries. For his exceptional courage, selflessness, and most conspicuous gallantry while evacuating a mortally wounded officer and then neutralising a hardcore foreign terrorist, Havildar Abdul Majid is awarded “KIRTI CHAKRA" (POSTHUMOUS).