Naik Bishuni Rai

Naik Bishuni Rai hailed from Bathui village in ​​Chhapra district of Bihar. He joined the Army after completing his initial education and was recruited to the 315 Field Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery, the combat support arm of the Indian Army well known for its booming guns and heavy weaponry. After serving for some time, he got married to Ms Sushila Devi hailing from Bihar. By the year 1999, he had put in several years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Naik. By then he had developed into a gallant soldier and a proud gunner.

Kargil Operations: 14 May to 02 July 1999

Nk Bishuni Rai’s unit, the 315 Field Regiment under the command of Col NA Subramanian was the first artillery unit to be deployed in Drass in the initial phase of the Kargil war on 14 May 1999. The very first day when the regiment arrived at the base camp in Drass, they were heavily fired upon. Even though they were unaware of the enemy’s position they fought bravely and retaliated the attack. During that period Nk Bishuni Rai’s 315 field regiment, was responsible for supporting operations for 1 Naga, 8 Sikh, 17 Jat, and 16 Grenadiers regiments who finally went on to capture Tololing, Point 5140, Black Tooth, Tiger Hill, Point 4875 (Gun Hill), in the Drass – Mushkoh Valley from the intruders. The period between the 14th to 31st of May was the toughest one for the unit as they had to fire at one position and quickly move on to another location to avoid detection continuously. With the responsibility of infantry units on their shoulders, 315 Field Regiment often faced two choices at night —Either they could stop firing and wait till morning or they could keep firing to protect the infantry units. 315 Field Regiment chose the latter and provided a continuous shield to the infantry units.

As part of ongoing operations, 192 Mountain Brigade of 8 Mountain Division commanded by Brig MPS Bajwa was entrusted with the task of capturing "Tiger Hill" by 04 July. A fire plan by the Artillery units was formulated to degrade the enemy defences, before the assault by 18 Grenadiers and 8 Sikh. On the evening of July 2nd, 1999, 315 Fd Regt had the choice — to continue firing or to stop firing. The infantry units (18 Grenadiers and 8 Sikh) would’ve been in danger had they stopped. Nk Bishuni Rai ’s 'Second-in-Command' Maj Dwivedi again chose the former, rushing out of his tent and motivating his boys to keep firing, to keep attacking the enemy. Nk Bishuni Rai who was manning one of the guns, kept pounding the enemy positions to cause maximum damage. However, during the heavy exchange of fire, Nk Bishuni Rai got seriously injured by one of the enemy shells. He soon succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Besides Nk Bishuni Rai, the other martyred brave hearts of 315 Fd Regt during the operation included his 'Second-in-Command' Major CB Dwivedi, L/Hav Mallayya, Naik Sarvan Kumar, L/Nk P Gopaiah, Gnr Raj Kumar, and Gnr INC Singha.

Naik Bishuni Rai was a brave and dedicated soldier, who laid down his life in the line of his duty. Naik Bishuni Rai is survived by his wife Smt Sushila Devi.