Havildar Bhakare SA SM

Havildar Sanjay Bhakare hailed from Maharashtra and joined the army after completing his school education. He was recruited into the Parachute Regiment, an elite infantry regiment well-known for its awe-inspiring dare-devil operations. Later he got selected to join 1 Para (SF) through a rigorous selection process and got trained as a commando. By the year 2009, Hav Sanjay Bhakare had put in substantial years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Havildar. By then he had evolved into a dedicated and disciplined soldier.

Kupwara Operation: 23rd March 2009

During 2009, Hav Sanjay Bhakare’s unit was deployed in the Kupwara district of J & K and was engaged in operations against the terrorists on a frequent basis. Based on the information received from the intelligence about the infiltration attempt by some terrorists in Kupwara district, the security forces decided to launch a search and destroy operation on 21 Mar 2009 under the leadership of Maj Mohit Sharma. Hav Sanjay Bhakare was made part of the assault team that was tasked with this operation. Maj Mohit Sharma and his team of commandos reached the suspected area as planned and soon made contact with the infiltrators. Soon a fierce gun battle ensued with a heavy exchange of fire. The operation continued for the next day too and on 22 March, Hav  Sanjay Bhakare and a few other soldiers were tasked to observe and dominate a track leading to dense Haphruda forest near the area of an ongoing operation.

After some time, Hav Sanjay Bhakare and his comrades observed some suspicious movement and swung into action. On being challenged, the terrorists fired at the troops indiscriminately. In the following exchange of fire, Hav Sanjay Bhakare sustained injuries. He soon succumbed to his injuries and attained martyrdom fighting for his motherland. The operation that commenced on 21 March 2009 continued for several days and eventually, the troops managed to eliminate many militants and made the operation successful. A large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered that included 17 assault rifles, four under-barrel grenade launchers,13 AK magazines, 207 AK ammunition, 19 UBGL grenades, two grenades, two global positioning systems, one Thuraya radio set, and Indian currency notes. 

Besides Hav Sanjay Bhakare, the other brave-hearts who sacrificed their lives during the operation included Nk Manoj Singh and  Hav Rakesh Kumar. In addition to these brave-hearts, five soldiers laid down their lives during the operation on 21 Mar 2009 which included Maj Mohit Sharma AC SM, Hav Sanjay Singh SM, Hav Anil Kumar SM, Ptr Shabir Ahmad Malik KC, and Ptr Nater Singh. Hav Sanjay Bhakare was given the gallantry award, “Sena Medal” for his commendable courage, devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice.

Hav Bhakare SA is survived by his son Shri Aditya Bhakare.