Rifleman Lakshmanan D

Rifleman Lakshmanan D hailed from Pudupatti village in Thummukkundu panchayat of Madurai district in Tamil Nadu. Son of Shri Dharmaraj and Smt Andal, Rfn Lakshmanan had a brother Ramar and sister Bama Priya as his siblings. He and his twin brother Ramar wanted to join the Armed Forces since their younger days and worked towards it, while studying. While Rfn Lakshmanan studied BCom, his brother Ramar completed BBA. They prepared together and appeared for recruitment but only Rfn Lakshmanan could get through. He joined the Army in the year 2019 at the age of 21 years. He was recruited into 11 Raj Rif battalion of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers and numerous battle honours.  His Ramar stayed back to take care of the family’s agricultural land. 

Parghal Operation (Rajouri - J&K) : 11 Aug 2022

During 2022, Rfn Lakshmanan D‘s unit 11 Raj Rif battalion was deployed in the Rajouri district of J&K. The unit troops were engaged in operations against the terrorists on a regular basis as the unit's area of responsibility (AOR) was active with militancy. The area was also prone to infiltration, which necessitated regular armed patrols to check any infiltration from across the border. The AOR of the unit also spanned over dense jungle and remote rugged mountainous terrain with extreme weather conditions, especially in the winter season. On 11 Aug 2022, a group of armed terrorists dressed in police uniforms attacked the 11 Raj Rif base at the Parghal area in Darhal tehsil of Rajouri district.

At around 2 AM on 11 Aug 2022, alert sentries of the 11 Raj Rif post detected suspicious persons approaching their post taking advantage of the inclement weather and dense foliage. On being challenged, the two terrorists threw grenades and attempted to gain entry inside the post.  As the situation turned dangerous and took threatening proportions, Rfn Lakshmanan D was joined by some more troops of the unit.  A fierce gun battle ensued thereafter as the troops cordoned off the area and engaged the terrorists thereby pinning them down. The gun battle continued for four hours with a heavy exchange of fire from both sides. Eventually, Rfn Lakshmanan D and his comrades managed to eliminate the two terrorists who had dared to attack the 11 Raj Rif post. However, during the exchange of fire, Rfn Lakshmanan D and five other soldiers got severely injured in the operation. The injured soldiers were shifted to the medical facility of the Army, but Rfn Lakshmanan D and three other soldiers viz. Sub Rajendra Prasad Bhambhu, Rifleman Nishant Malik and Rifleman Manoj Kumar Bhati soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Another soldier Hav Satyapal Singh too lost the battle for life after nearly 10 days. Rfn Lakshmanan D was a brave and committed soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 24 years in the line of his duty.

Rfn Lakshmanan D is survived by his father Shri Shri Dharmaraj, mother Smt Andal, his twin brother Ramar and sister Bama Priya.