Naik Karan Kumar Yadav

Naik Karan Kumar Yadav hailed from Bahupur village in Kanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Son of Shri Balak Ram Yadav, Nk Karan Kumar had a younger brother Arun Kumar, and three sisters as his siblings. Naik Karan Kumar joined the army after completing his school education in the year 2013. He was recruited into the Army Service Corps, the logistic supply arm of the Indian Army.  After serving with his parent Corps for some time, he was deputed to serve with the 48 RR battalion deployed in J&K for counter-insurgency operations. 

After serving for a few years he got married to Ms Anju and the couple was blessed with two children Arya and Ayush. By the year 2023, he had put in around 10 years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Naik.

Poonch Operation (J&K) : 20/21 Dec 2023

During Dec 2023, Naik Karan Kumar’s unit 48 RR was deployed in the Poonch district of J&K and was engaged in operations against the militants frequently. As the unit’s AOR(Area of Responsibility) was prone to infiltration by the militants, the unit troops had to maintain a high state of alert at all times. The unit undertook operations regularly in its AOR to check the infiltration and one such operation was assigned to the unit on 20 Dec 2023.  Naik Karan Kumar was made part of the team that was tasked to undertake that operation. On 21 Dec 2023, Nk Karan Kumar and his comrades set off for the suspected site for a search and cordon operation in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district.

However, as the convoy carrying the soldiers was on its way, the suspected terrorists carried out an attack on two Army vehicles – a gypsy and a truck on the road between Dera-Ki-Gali (DKG) and Buffliaz areas in Surankote tehsil. The heavily armed terrorists ambushed the Army vehicles at a blind curve at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz under the jurisdiction of the Surankote police station at around 3.45 pm. It appeared that the Pakistan-sponsored terrorists in a pre-planned move, were waiting in the hideout to ambush the troops in the vehicles and carry out their sinister plan. The terrorists had chosen that place to attack as the stretch between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz on the boundary of Rajouri and Poonch districts was densely forested and led to Chamrer forest and then Bhata Dhurian forest, which provided safe escape routes. The sudden attack had a devastating effect and as a result, many soldiers got severely injured. Nk Karan Kumar and three other soldiers soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. One more soldier too later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Besides Nk Karan Kumar, the other three martyred brave hearts included Naik Birendra Singh, Sowar Chandan Kumar, and Sowar Gautam Kumar. Nk Karan Kumar Yadav was a gallant and committed soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 29 years in the line of his duty.

Naik Karan Kumar Yadav is survived by his parents, wife Smt Anju, two children Arya & Ayush, brother Shri Arun Kumar Yadav, and three sisters.