Major Deepak Kumar Padda SC

Major Deepak Kumar Padda hailed from Hoshiarpur district in Punjab and was born on 30 Jan 1976.  Son of an army veteran Lt Col Paras Ram, he wished to serve in the Armed Forces since his younger days like his father. Following his passion, he eventually joined the Army after completing his education in the year 2000 at the age of 23 years. He was commissioned into 85 Armd Regt of the Armoured Corps, well known for its formidable tanks and other heavy weaponry. 

After completing his training he served with his parent unit and took part in various challenging operations.  After serving for a few years he got married to Ms Sonia and the couple was blessed with a son Ritviek. He served with his unit  85 Armd Regt for four years and thereafter, was sent on a cross-attachment to 18 Grenadiers battalion deployed in J&K. By 2005, he had put in around 05 years of service and had gained the field-craft skills required to be a battle-ready officer. 

Kupwara operation: 25 May 2005

During 2005, Maj Deepak Kumar Padda was serving with 14 Grenadiers battalion, deployed in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. The unit troops were engaged in counter-insurgency operations on a regular basis as its AOR (Area of Operation) was affected by active militancy. Besides manning the forward posts in the Kupwara district, Maj Deepak Kumar Padda’s unit also undertook operations to check the infiltration bids as its AOR was prone to infiltration by the militants from across the border. One such operation was undertaken by the 14 Grenadiers battalion 25 May 2005, based on information from intelligence sources. Maj Deepak Kumar Padda was part of the team that was assigned the task of undertaking this operation. 

As planned, Maj Deepak Kumar and his comrades reached the suspected area in Rangawar village of Kupwara district on 25 May 2005. The troops cordoned off the suspected area and launched the search operation. After a long search the troops eventually made contact with the militants, who fired at them on being challenged. Maj Deepak Kumar along with his men fought gallantly and turned up the heat on the militants. In the meantime, the militants attacked and injured one soldier. Realizing the lives of his comrades in danger, Maj Deepak Kumar without caring for his own safety attacked the militants to turn their attention. Taken aback by the sudden attack, the militants fired at Maj Deepak Kumar injuring him seriously. Though injured severely, he continued to fight and managed to eliminate one militant. Maj Deepak Kumar was later shifted to the nearby military hospital for medical treatment.  When his condition did not improve, he was shifted to Delhi for further medical care. However, after fighting valiantly for few days, he lost the battle for life and was martyred on 04 June 2005.  Maj Deepak Kumar was a valiant soldier and a fine officer, who laid down his life in the line of his duty at the age of 29 years. Maj Deepak Kumar Padda was given the gallantry award, “Shaurya Chakra”  for displaying outstanding courage, leadership, and camaraderie of a very high order.

Major Deepak Kumar Padda is survived by his wife Smt Sonia and son Ritviek.

A school is beeing run by the name "Major Deepak Kumar Padda Government Senior Secondary School" at Daulatpur of  Pathankot in Punjab.