Service No : 13614332M
Date of Birth : February 5, 1963
Place of birth : Ajmer Dist(Raj)
Service : Army
Last Rank : Naik
Unit : 10 Para (SF)
Arm/Regt : The Parachute Regiment
Operation : Op Pawan
Awards : Vir Chakra
Martyrdom : October 12, 1987
Naik Ganga Ram hailed from Pinglod village in Kishangarh tehsil of Ajmer district in Rajasthan and was born on 05 Feb 1963. Son of Shri Sukha Ram Nuvad and Smt Bhanwari Devi, he wanted to serve in the Army like many young men of Rajasthan. He lost his mother when he was only three years old and was brought up by his uncle and aunt (Shri Sugna Ram Nuwad and Smt Bidam Devi). He studied from the schools of Pinglod village and Nimbarka Tirtha (Salemabad) and completed his matriculation. He then joined the Indian army on 10 Dec 1981 at the age of 18 years.
He was recruited into the 10 Para battalion of the Parachute Regiment, an infantry Regiment well known for its brave soldiers and various daredevil operations. He soon developed into a dedicated soldier with appreciable soldierly skills. Besides being a committed, he was a keen sportsman and excelled in boxing, taekwondo, horse riding and long distance run.
Sri Lankan Operations (Op Pawan) : 11-12 Oct 1987
During Oct 1987, Naik Ganga Ram's unit 10 Para got deployed in Sri Lanka as part of IPKF operations. The IPKF launched its first operation on 9 October 1987, after formulating a multi-pronged strategy to take on LTTE. Code-named Operation Op Pawan, it was expected to neutralize LTTE operational capability in and around Jaffna. This included the capture or neutralization of the LTTE’s chain of command, which was expected to leave the rebel movement directionless in the face of the impending assault on the LTTE strongholds by the IPKF. On 10 October 1987, Intelligence inputs suggested that the LTTE leadership, which included not only Prabhakaran but also his deputies like Mahatiya and local military commanders were going to attend a meeting at their tactical HQ at Kokkovil in the Jaffna University campus on the night of October 11th.
The Army decided to utilize this opportunity of capturing them all and cut short the bitter fighting that lay ahead for the capture of Jaffna. A Special Helicopter Borne Operation (SHBO) was planned in which troops would be dropped at Jaffna University. The troops would try to capture the LTTE Top leaders in a lightning strike and bring to an end the resistance of the LTTE. The SHBO was planned to be carried out on the night of Oct 11/12, when the Helicopter force would have to heli-drop IPKF Troops in the football ground in the Jaffna University Campus. The Troops allocated for the mission were 120 Commandos from 10 th Para Commando and about 360 Troops from the 13th Sikh LI.
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