Major Vivek Gupta MVC

Major Vivek Gupta hailed from Dehradun in Uttarakhand and was born on 02 January 1970. Since his childhood, Major Vivek Gupta had been listening to stories about life in the army and the honor of being in the army from his father Col BRS Gupta, an Army Ordnance Corps officer, and was immensely inspired by it. Finally, his natural instinct prevailed and he decided to join the army and announced it to his family, who were very happy and proud of his decision. He passed out of the Indian Military Academy Dehradun as a 2nd Lieutenant on June 13, 1992,  at the age of 22 years. He was commissioned into 2 Raj Rif Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment, the senior most Rifle Regiment of the Indian Army, with its first battalion having been raised in January 1775. Postindependence the regiment took part in many battles and operations including the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Congo. The Rajputana Rifles fought gallantly in the 1965 and 1971 India-Pakistan wars and had the distinction of winning many gallantry awards. 

After commissioning, he joined his battalion in Udaipur and soon honed his field craft skills. Later his unit moved to J&K in the Kupwara sector, where he took over as Adjutant of the battalion. Very soon in his service career, he got involved in daring operations, as his unit was deployed in militancy militancy-affected area. During his tenure in J&K, he was awarded the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) commendation for killing a Pakistani terrorist in hand-to-hand combat. After serving for a couple of years he got married in 1997 to a fellow army officer Capt Rajshree Bisht, a doctor in the Army Medical Corps. He also had a tenure as an instructor at the Infantry School, Mhow in Madya Pradesh. Besides being a tough soldier, he had a keen interest in bodybuilding and singing. 

Battle of Tololing (Kargil War): June 1999

Shortly after the signing of the Lahore declaration in 1999, the Pakistan Army surreptitiously occupied the winter vacated posts of the Indian Army. On 03 May 1999, these intrusions were detected and on 26 May 1999, the first air-to-ground strike was launched by the Indian Airforce (IAF), followed by Operation Vijay, by the Indian Army to evict the intruders from the Indian areas. The army quickly mobilized its forces to drive out the Pakistani infiltrators from Indian territory. Maj Vivek Gupta's 2 Raj Rif battalion, under the command of Lt Col MB Ravindranath, which was part of 81 Mountain Brigade in the Lolab valley was inducted into the Drass area on 04 June 1999. The battalion was functioning under the command of 56 Mtn Bde, with overall operational control being exercised by 8 Mtn Div under Maj Gen Mohinder Puri. The Tololing Heights was the deepest penetration beyond the LC by the Pakistani intruders. Tololing and another feature named Point 4590 were among the vital peaks for India, as they overlooked the Drass sector and a large section of the National Highway.  The task of capturing the Tololing feature was assigned to 56 Mtn Bde. The Tololing feature comprised Pt 4590, Tololing Top, South East Spur, South Spur, and Hump to its north. Pt 4590 and Tololing Top dominated all the approaches leading to it. As per the plan of attack of 56 Mtn Bde, 2 Raj Rif was tasked to capture the Tololing top by 0600 Hr on 13 June 1999. 18 Garh Rif battalion was to capture Pt 5140 by 0700 hrs on 13 June. Two companies of 18 Grenadiers were to provide a firm base and the balance of the battalion was to act as reserve to 2 Raj Rif.  

When the battalion launched the attack on 12 June 1999 at 2030 hrs, Major Vivek Gupta was in command of the leading Charlie Company. Despite heavy artillery and automatic fire, the unit under Major Vivek Gupta's inspiring leadership was able to close in with the enemy. The Company came under heavy fire from all sides as soon as they emerged into the open. After three soldiers of the Company's leading section were hit, the attack was temporarily stalled. Knowing that staying in the open, amidst intense enemy fire would result in further casualties, Major Vivek Gupta reacted quickly and fired a rocket launcher at the hostile position. Before the enemy could regain command and control, he charged into the hostile position. During the charge, he was hit by two bullets, yet he pressed on with the attack. Despite being wounded, he fought the enemy in a severe hand-to-hand fight. Upon reaching the area he managed to kill three enemy soldiers. Inspired by Major Vivek Gupta's valiant deed, the rest of the company surged onto the enemy position and captured it. Major Vivek Gupta was yet again hit by enemy gunfire and got grievously injured and succumbed to his injuries on the battlefield. His body could not be recovered immediately and it lay on the Tololing Top till the Indian Army sent a mission, braving enemy fire, to rescue the bodies on June 15. Besides Maj Vivek Gupta, two JCOs (Junior Commissioned Officers) and six other soldiers of 2 Raj Rif were martyred during the operation. The other martyred brave hearts included Sub Bhanwar Lal, Sub Sumer Singh Rathore, CHM Yashvir Singh Tomar, Hav Sultan Singh Narwaria, Nk Surendra Singh, Nk Chaman Singh, Rfn Bachan Singh and Rfn Jasvir Singh. 

Life came a full circle for Major Vivek Gupta as he was martyred exactly on the day he joined the Rajputana Rifles seven years ago. “Knowing that his entire company is like a sitting duck after bullets were fired upon them from every direction Major Vivek launched a solo attack to take on the Pakistanis. "While my 27-year-old son proved his blood, his fellow soldiers lived on to win more peaks,” said Col Gupta of his son’s death. He was said to be very close to his father and his father was very proud of Major Gupta that his son died a hero’s death. He posted a letter to the Indian army after Maj Vivek’s death expressing his grief and pride about him. For his act of exemplary bravery, an exhibition of spectacular courage and supreme sacrifice, he was given the nation’s second highest gallantry award, “Maha Vir Chakra” posthumously.

The citation for the "Maha Vir Chakra" awarded to him reads:

Major Vivek Gupta was in command of the leading Charlie Company, when 2^nd Rajputana Rifles launched a battalion attack on Tololing Top, in Drass sector on 13 June 1999. Inspite of heavy artillery and automatic fire, the company under the inspiring leadership of Major Vivek Gupta was able to close in with the enemy. As soon as the Company emerged in the open, they came under multi-directional intense fire. Three personnel of the leading section of the Company were hit and the attack was temporarily stalled. Knowing fully well that staying any longer in the open under the murderous enemy fire would lead to more losses, Major Vivek Gupta reacted immediately and fired a rocket launcher at the enemy position. Before the shocked enemy could recover, Major Vivek Gupta charged on to the enemy position. While so charging, he was hit by two bullets, despite which, he kept moving towards the position. On reaching the position, he engaged the enemy in fierce hand-to-hand combat and managed to kill three enemy soldiers despite his own injuries.

Taking inspiration form the gallant deed of their officer, the rest of the company charged onto the enemy position and captured it. However, in the ensuing combat, Major Vivek Gupta received another direct from enemy bullets and finally succumbed to his injuries. Major Vivek Gupta displayed conspicuous gallantry and inspiring leadership in the face of the enemy, which, ultimately led to the capture of Tololing Top.

• “Don’t worry Dad, I will be back soon,” Maj Gupta wrote to his father Col BRS Gupta in his last letter on June 8, 1999.
• Another excerpt of the letter says, “You should feel proud of me … I am contributing something for the nation in this uniform I have worn … being a company commander at this time is the greatest experience one can have.”
• “I am going for the Tololing and will move ahead after that. If I come back shoot me,” was the war cry given by Maj Gupta to his men before launching the assault on Tololing Top.
• “When I asked his choice of unit he said, ‘I am not made to count socks and trousers. I am born to be an infantry man,’ recalled Col Gupta, after his son had told him his intentions of joining the army.

1. An anecdote by Col Virendra Tavathia (Retd) :

In 1994 Summer, I was officiating Commanding Officer of the Battalion in Kupwara Sector in the High Altitude Area. Then Lt Vivek Gupta was the adjutant of the battalion. He was very unhappy as adjutant since he was not getting a chance to be in active operations. One day, I was returning after visiting a forward post. Vivek called me and told me that a BSF party was engaged in some operations with terrorists, and we were asked to provide some help to them. I told him to send the QRT asap, fully equipping them for at least 48 hours. In between, we had the areas where Radio Communication was not at its best. When I reached the Tac HQ, I found Adjutant missing from there. I asked the Sub Adjt as to where the Adjt was? He told me that he himself had taken the QRT and had reached the site of the operations. That was Vivek. He was a born soldier, a brave one and a dedicated one. He was an excellent Adjutant, did well as an Instructor at Inf School. I was very fortunate to have officers like Maj Vivek Gupta, MVC and Maj Padmapani Acharya, MVC in the battalion. Both of them served as my adjutant. My most prestigious possession is a picture taken in the summer of 1995 in the High Altitude Area, where I am flanked by both of these brave hearts. In their company, I feel special until today.

2. Tribute by the CO, Col Virendra Tavathia (Retd) :

As the Commanding Officer of Maj Vivek Gupta, MVC, I have a lot of stories to share. Vivek joined the Bn in June/July 1992 at Udaipur. Our youngsters had started a so-called tradition (which I really did not know, since I had returned after almost 4 years after my Staff Course and BM’s tenure) in which the newly commissioned officer was to climb about a 12-14 feet pole over which they put his Cap and get his Cap. This was to be done during the dinning in after the officer was given excess liquor. What happened in Vivek’s case that these officers put grease on the pole. No one prior to Vivek had been able to get the Cap in that state. When I saw that I told these young officers that it is unfair to put grease on the pole. But guess what, Vivek climbed the pole got his Cap and was the first one to do so. That showed the resolve of this brave heart. We were celebrating the 175th Anniversary of the Bn’s raising in November 1992. I was the secretary of the event. We made a beautiful Silver Trophy to be presented to the officers' mess by Officers. We as a team were discussing as to who must present this trophy to the Officer’s Mess. Everyone was talking about Col of the Regiment, or the Senior most officer from serving or retired officers to do so. There were apprehensions about the protocol and so on. An idea came to my mind, and I told the Commanding Officer that let the youngest officer of the battalion present it for he is going to be with that Trophy for the maximum time, and my suggestion was accepted by the Commanding Officer. The 175th Anniversary Trophy in 2 Raj Rif officers mess was presented/ unveiled by then 2/Lt Vivek Gupta. I declined to go on my grade 1 tenure, as the unit for the first time in my service was scheduled to go active operations. So, from Jan 1992 I remained with the battalion till I took premature retirement in June 1998. During this period I had seen Vivek, Acharya, Mohit, Umed and Uttam and many more doing a great job with the Bn. Least I knew that I had a chance to command the battalion in actual War, and if I knew it, I would have completed the Command, and a dream would have come true. Leading the likes of these officers and men is a great experience and if it comes in War that is the best. 21 Years after my retirement I still salute each one of these brave men of 2 Raj Rif and the great commanding officers who have led the battalion before me and after me. We are very proud of the heritage of our battalion, which has come at a great cost of soldiers like Maj Vivek Gupta, MVC. If one analyzes the Kargil War, the battle of Tololing, and the act of bravery of these men and officers, I personally feel that Maj Vivek Gupta should have received PVC.