Major Kaustubh Prakash Rane SM

Major Kaustubh Prakash Rane hailed from Thane district in Maharashtra and was born on 27 Feb 1989. Though his family originally belonged to Sadure village in Vaibhavwadi taluka of Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, he grew up in Sheetal Nagar area of Mira Road in Thane.  Maj Kaustubh Rane did his schooling from Mira Road’s Holy Cross Convent High School and later higher secondary education from Shri L P Raval college. Subsequently he graduated from Shailendra College in Dahisar located on the outskirts of Mumbai. Known to be a well-mannered and intelligent boy since his childhood, Maj Kaustubh was passionate about joining the Indian Army since his childhood. 

Following his passion, eventually he cleared the combined defense service examinations and was selected to join the the Chennai-based Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) in 2011. He was commissioned into 12 Garh Rif battalion of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment, an infantry regiment with a rich history of valour and battle honours. He joined his unit in Kupwara in J & K as a young lieutenant and soon honed his field craft skills by taking part in various operations. He then got posted to a peace area in Kolkata where he functioned as ADC to GOC Bengal Area.  Besides being a tough soldier, he was a kind and soft-spoken person, who regularly kept in touch with old friends.  After serving with his parent unit for few years, he got deputed to serve with 36 RR battalion deployed in J&K for counter insurgency operations. By January 2018, he had been promoted to the rank of a Major and had developed into a fine officer, known for his commendable soldierly skills. 

Gurez Sector Operation: 06/07 Aug 2018

During 2018, Maj Kaustubh Rane’s 36 RR battalion was deployed in the Gurez sector in J & K and was engaged in counterinsurgency operations. The Gurez sector was one of the remote parts of the valley located in Bandipora district around 125 km from Srinagar. The sector was heavily militarized and soldiers were stationed on mountaintop posts to guard the Line of Control and prevent the infiltration of militants. The Gurez sector was snow-covered even in summers and militants did not have long tracts of forest cover either to use as escape routes or to sneak inside LOC.

On 06 Aug, around 1 am about eight-odd heavily armed terrorists tried to infiltrate into the Indian territory near Govind Nullah in Bakhtor area taking advantage of darkness. The alert soldiers noticed the unusual movement and challenged the infiltrators moving from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). Maj Kaustubh Rane along with his troops swung into action and engaged the militants trying to infiltrate. A fierce gun battle ensued thereafter in which two militants were killed. However, during the heavy exchange of fire Maj Kaustubh Rane and three other soldiers Rifleman Mandeep Singh Rawat, Rifleman Hameer Singh and Gunner Vikram Jeet Singh got severely injured. They were shifted to the 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar but they later succumbed to their injuries and were martyred.  Maj Kaustubh Rane was a committed soldier and a determined officer, who led from the front and laid down his life at the age of 29 years in the line of his duty.

Maj Kaustubh Rane was given the gallantry award, “Sena Medal” on 26 Jan 2019 for dauntless courage, leadership and supreme sacrifice. He was also bestowed with the "Gaurav Puruskar" from the Maharastra Government. Later carrying forward the legacy of her husband, Smt Kanika Rane joined the Indian Army and was commissioned as an officer in Nov 2020, after she completed her training at the OTA in Chennai.

Maj Kaustubh Prakash Rane is survived by his father Shri Prakash Rane, mother Smt Jyoti Rane, wife Capt Kanika Rane, son Agastya, and sister Ms Kashyapi. 

Inspiring Story of Major Kaustubh Prakash Rane's wife-- Lt Kanika Rane

Life turned blissful when Kanika got married to Major Kaustubh Prakash Rane, who besides being a tough soldier, was a fantastic human being. She soon adapted to the Army life and became a proud member of the large Army family.  The arrival of their son Agastya in 2016, brought added happiness to their lives.  But on 07 Aug 2018, her beautiful world turned upside down, when she lost her husband, while he was leading a counter-insurgency operation in Gurez Sector in Kashmir’s Bandipora district.  The edifice of her life came crumbling down in a moment and life suddenly looked meaningless to her. She was stunned, angry and terribly worried about her future and that of her son.

But she was a woman of strong will and determination. She took the tragedy in her stride and decided to take life head on. When she collected the gallantry award given to her husband, she really felt proud of her husband. This also became an inspiration and motivation for her to don the uniform and join the Army. She decided to move ahead with that inspiration and follow into the footsteps of her husband. With her outstanding perseverance and determination, she cleared the Service Selection Board (SSB) interview in October 2019.  She then joined the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai and quickly adapted to the grueling sessions of the training.  She went on to excel in all aspects of training and won praise from all quarters for her determination, resilience and grit. 

At OTA, she was competing with the cadets much younger to her in age, but that did not deter her and she did very well in every aspect of training. The period was also emotionally draining for her, as she could barely speak to her son, but she had decided to win over all her challenges and trauma. Eventually she passed out in 2020 from OTA and was commissioned as a Lieutenant. For the newly commissioned  Lt Kanika Rane, it was a dream come true and no small feat by any stretch of imagination. Her journey is truly inspirational that embodies courage, hope and determination for countless women of India.