Rifleman Manoj Kumar Bhati

Rifleman Manoj Kumar Bhati hailed from Shahjahanpur village of Faridabad district in Haryana and was born in the year 1996. Son of Shri Babulal Kumar and Smt Sunita, Manoj Kumar was the youngest among four siblings. His elder brother Sunil Kumar is also serving in the army, while the other brother Harendra is engaged in farming and his sister Asha is married and a homemaker.  Right from his younger days, he always wished to follow in the footsteps of his brother and don the Army uniform. Following his dream, he joined the army after completing his school education on 25 Apr 2017 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. After serving for a few years, he got married to Ms. Komal from Sikar on 14th November 2021. 

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

During 2022, Rfn Manoj Kumar Bhati‘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 Manoj Kumar Bhati and some more troops of the unit joined the operation.  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 Manoj Kumar Bhati and his comrades managed to eliminate the two terrorists who had dared to attack the 11 RR post. However, during the exchange of fire, Rfn Manoj Kumar Bhati and five other soldiers got severely injured in the operation. The injured soldiers were shifted to the medical facility of the Army, but Rfn Manoj Kumar Bhati and three other soldiers Sub Rajendra Prasad Bhambhu, Rifleman Nishant Malik and Rifleman Lakshmanan D soon succumbed to their injuries and were martyred. Another soldier Hav Satyapal Singh too lost the battle for life after few days. Rfn Manoj Kumar Bhati was a fearless and committed soldier, who laid down his life in the line of his duty.

Rfn Manoj Kumar Bhati is survived by his father Shri Babulal, mother Smt Sunita, wife Smt Komal, brothers Sunil Kumar & Harendra, and sister Asha.