2nd Lt Viney Kaul

Second Lieutenant Viney Kaul was born in August 1950 in Amritsar, Punjab. He was the youngest child of Shri Pt. Kesho Ram and Smt. Rajkumari Kaul and grew up in a close-knit family with two brothers and three sisters. His father, an affluent European Grade officer in the erstwhile British Indian Railways, served as the Chief Controller of Northern Railway. Due to the nature of his father’s service, 2nd Lt Viney spent his early years in New Delhi, Amritsar, and Ferozepur before the family eventually settled in their ancestral town of Nurpur in Himachal Pradesh following his father’s retirement in 1959. Though there was no military background in his immediate family, 2nd Lt  Viney Kaul had a deep-rooted passion for the Armed Forces from a young age. He actively pursued this interest through the National Cadet Corps (NCC), first during school and then at the university level, where he rose to the position of Senior Under-Officer.

2nd Lt Viney Kaul was admired not only for his handsome appearance and sharp intellect but also for his sense of responsibility. Following the untimely demise of his father and elder brother, he stepped up to shoulder family responsibilities, navigating both financial and emotional challenges. In order to support his family, he took on part-time work during his university years—delivering newspapers in the early mornings while his hostel mates were still asleep. An all-round personality, 2nd Lt  Viney had a flair for sports and excelled particularly in hockey. He was also an animal lover and a passionate kitchen gardener. His fondness for animals was evident in the company he kept—he raised a goat, a cow, and a dog at home, and found joy in growing vegetables in his garden. After completing his graduation, 2nd Lt Viney enrolled in the M.Sc. Geology program at Panjab University, Chandigarh. However, his lifelong dream took precedence when he was selected to join the Indian Army. He left his postgraduate studies and joined the Officers Training School (now Officers Training Academy) in Madras in 1970. On 14 March 1971, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He was commissioned into the 165 Field Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery, the combat support arm of the Indian Army, well known for its booming guns and heavy weaponry. Subsequently, he became a "Silver Gunner", having topped his 'Young Officers' Course', FD 578 at the School of Artillery, Deolali from 29th March 1970 to 21st August 1970. Incidentally, there were only two Silver Gunners in the 165th Field Regiment at that time, the other being his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel SF Rodrigues, who later became the Chief of the Army Staff.

Jalalabad- Fazilka sector (Indo-Pak War) : 04 Jan 1972

After commissioning into 165 Field Regiment in March 1971, Second Lieutenant Viney Kaul had only a few months of peace-time training before India and Pakistan again edged toward open conflict. By mid-November that year, his regiment, part of 67 Infantry Brigade under 7 Infantry Division, was ordered from its peacetime location to the Fazilka sector of Punjab—opposite Pakistan’s Sulemanki headworks on the River Sutlej. Their guns were sited to support three infantry battalions earmarked for the sector: 4 Jat, 15 Rajput, and 3 Assam. At 2045 hrs on 3 December 1971, Pakistan launched pre-emptive air strikes, followed almost immediately by a ground thrust that penetrated about seven kilometres inside Indian territory, overrunning the border villages of Beriwala, Gurmi Khera, and Pakka. During the next forty-eight hours, 4 Jat led the defensive fight-back, while 15 Rajput and 3 Assam mounted local counter-attacks to seal the breach. Throughout the fighting, the 18-pounder field guns of 165 Fd Regt—controlled by young forward observation officers (FOOs) like 2 Lt Kaul—laid down defensive fire tasks and close support barrages that prevented the enemy from exploiting its initial gains.

The formal cease-fire of 16 December ended large-scale manoeuvres, yet both armies remained in eyeball contact across hastily marked cease-fire lines. Artillery observation posts stayed manned around the clock because each side tried to readjust or improve positions under the cover of darkness. Sporadic exchanges of small-arms, machine-gun, and mortar fire became the new routine; every patrol and every OP had to assume that the next hour could turn lethal. During the late afternoon of 4 January—as dusk lent cover to troop movements—Pakistani forces opened intense and indiscriminate fire on Indian localities between Jalalabad and Fazilka. Mortars rained on perimeter trenches while automatic weapons swept tree lines and bunds. Second Lieutenant Viney Kaul, functioning as the FOO for an infantry company, occupied a hastily sand-bagged Observation Post barely 400 metres behind the forward trenches. With his radio operator beside him, he reported fall-of-shot and corrected the guns of 165 Fd Regt onto enemy mortar pits, effectively silencing two of them.

The duel lasted well into the evening. At approximately 1900 hrs, a 120 mm mortar bomb landed directly on the OP (Observation Post). The blast grievously wounded both the young officer and his signaller, severing radio communications at a critical moment. Despite immediate first aid, 2 Lt Kaul succumbed to his injuries before evacuation could reach the regimental aid post. He was twenty-one. Second Lieutenant Viney Kaul’s action on 4 January typified the quiet courage expected of artillery observers: exposed, calm under fire, and entirely focused on shielding the infantry he supported. Only ten months out of the academy, he had already earned a “Silver Gunner” distinction for topping his Young Officers’ Course; in battle, he translated classroom excellence into lived professionalism. His sacrifice, coming weeks after the cease-fire, reminds us that vigilance along the front often continues long after headlines declare a war to be over. At regimental anniversaries, 165 Field Regiment still honours the memory of its young FOO who, in the words of the Gunner’s Prayer, gave “his today for our tomorrow” on the outskirts of Fazilka.

2nd Lt  Viney Kaul is survived by his sister, Smt Vinod Bala.

•  Lambi Gali, a street in Nurpur in Himachal Pradesh has been named as ‘Viney Gali’ in the honour of 2nd Lt Viney Kaul.
• "Shaheed Viney Kaul Memorial Park" has been constructed in Nurpur in the memory of 2nd Lt Viney Kaul.
• "Shaheed Viney Kaul Voluntary Organisation" has been formed in his memory in Nurpur(HP), which works for saving the environment and keeping the city clean.