Rifleman JS Shekhawat

Rifleman Jagmal Singh Shekhawat hailed from Roru Badi village of Laxmangarh tehsil in Sikar district of Rajasthan and was born on 22 Jul 1977. Son of an army veteran Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Smt Mohan Kanwar, Rifleman Jagmal Singh came from a family of military veterans. His father served in 2 Raj Rif battalion and took active part in the 1971 war. While growing up Rifleman Jagmal Singh developed an inclination to serve in the Army like his father and started working towards it. Eventually, he joined the Indian Army after completing his school education. He was recruited into 2 Raj Rif battalion of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment, the same battalion his father had served. It was a matter of pride for both father and son to be part of the same battalion that had a glorious past. 

Battle of Black Rock Complex (Kargil War) : 28 June 1999

Rfn Jagmal Singh Shekhawat'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. 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 Air Force (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. After the capture of Tololing and Point 5140 by 20 June 1999, it was necessary to maintain pressure on the enemy. A number of reconnaissance missions confirmed that an area called 'Three Pimples Ridge' was needed to be captured in conjunction with Point 4700 in the first phase. Subsequently it was required to capture Point 5100 to reach the LOC. The 'Three Pimples Ridge' which emanated from Pt 5100 on the Marpo La Ridgeline dominated the National Highway, Drass town and Sando Valley. The capture of this area was necessary to pave the way for capturing Pt 5100 and subsequently Pt 5600, to isolate the intrusion east of Sando Nala in Drass. Three Pimples also known as Black Rock complex consisted of Three Pimples, Lone Hill, Knoll and Kajal and bifurcated into two spur lines. Point 4700 Ridge consisted of Pt 4700, Saddle, Tommy, Sangar, Rocky and Junction Point. In order to achieve the desired objective in that area, a bold plan to launch multidirectional attacks spread over two phases was chalked out. 

As per the operational plan, in phase-I, 2 Raj Rif was to capture Knoll and Lone Hill and contact Junction Point by early morning of 29 June. 18 Garh Rif was tasked to capture Tommy, Saddle and Pt 4700 by 29 June morning. In phase-II, 2 Raj Rif was to clear Three Pimples by midday and 16 Grenadiers Battalion was to exploit the situation and capture Junction Point by 30 June. In this phase, 18 Garh Rif was tasked to capture Rocky and Sangar and thereafter link up with 16 Grenadiers at Junction Point by 30 June. The 'A' Company of 2 Raj Rif under the command of Major Padmapani Acharya was tasked to capture Knoll from the direction of 'Kajal'. 'D' Company of 2 Raj Rif under the command of Major Mohit Saxena was tasked to capture Lone Hill, whereas 'B' Company under the command of Major Bajaj was to rush towards the Junction area after the fall of Lone Hill. The Ghatak platoon under the command of Capt Neikezhakuo Kenguruse was to establish blocks north and south of Lone Hill. The attack by 2 Raj Rif and 18 Garh Rif commenced at 2030 hrs on 28 June 1999. 

'D' Company of 2 Raj Rif led by Major Mohit Saxena outflanked Black Rock and assaulted Lone Hill, a feature that comprised of three bumps. The first two bumps were captured but the third located on a rock face offered stiff resistance. Capt Neikezhakuo Kenguruse along with his Ghatak platoon was then ordered to capture the bump from the north. 'A' Company of 2 Raj Rif under the command of Major Padmapani Acharya also launched attack as planned to capture Knoll from the direction of 'Kajal'. 'A' Company had the formidable task of capturing an enemy position which was heavily fortified, strongly held and covered with mines and sweeping machine gun and artillery fire. Rfn Jagmal Singh was part of the Section No 7 of No 3 Platoon of 'A' Company under the command of Capt Vijayant Thapar.  A fierce gun battle continued for several hours with 2 Raj Rif troops including Rfn Jagmal Singh Shekhawat, engaging the enemy with commendable bravery. The enemy position was finally over-run and the objective was captured. However during the heavy exchange of fire, Rfn Jagmal Singh Shekhawat was seriously injured. He later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Besides Rfn Jagmal Singh Shekhawat, three officers and nine soldiers from 2 Raj Rif Battalion laid down their lives during this entire operation. The other martyred brave hearts included, Maj Padmapani Acharya, Capt Vijayant Thapar, Capt Neikezhakuo Kenguruse, Hav SS Sengar, Hav Satyabir Singh, Nk Anand Singh, L/Nk Satpal Singh, L/Nk Vikram Singh, Rfn Satyaveer SIngh, Rfn Om Prakash, Rfn Jasvir Singh and Rfn Kanwar Pal Singh. Rfn Jagmal Singh Shekhawat was a brave and committed soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 22 years in the line of his duty.

Rfn Jagmal Singh Shekhawat is survived by his mother Smt Mohan Kanwar.