Service No : 5246909W
Date of Birth : January 5, 1973
Place of birth : Kalimpong Dist( WB)
Service : Army
Last Rank : Rifleman
Unit : 4/3 GR
Arm/Regt : 3 Gorkha Rifles
Operation : Op Vijay
Martyrdom : August 23, 1999
Rifleman Phurba Tamang
Rifleman Phurba Tamang hailed from Pedong town in Kalimpong district of West Bengal and was born on 05 Jan 1973. Son of Shri Lok Bahadur Tamang and Smt Shanti Tamang, Rfn Phurba Tamang joined the army on 26 Oct 1993 at the age of 20 years. He was enrolled into the 4/3 GR battalion of the 3 Gorkha Rifles Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its fearless soldiers. 4/3 GR Battalion had a chequered history, having been raised twice as part of the expansion in the two World Wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945, and disbanded after each war. Initially raised at Rawalpindi on 1 October 1916 by Maj BC Nicolay as the First Reserve Battalion, Gorkha Rifles, it served with distinction in the North Western Frontier Province from 1916 to 1922 and saw action against the Afghans, Wazirs and Mahsuds. Re-raised in World War II on 15 March 1941 at Dehra Dun by Maj HFC Armstrong as the 4th Battalion of the 3rd Gorkha Rifles, the Battalion spent most of its time in Razmak in the North Western Frontier Province and earned high commendation for the capture of “Alexandra” Picquet which was located at the height of 8,000 feet. It was disbanded on 6 April 1947 and raised again on 25 May 1962 at Birpur Dehradun.
Following the completion of his training, he served in various operational areas including Gurdaspur in Punjab, Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, and Almora in Uttarakhand. After serving for a few years, he got married to Ms Sunita and the couple was blessed with a daughter Prijita. By the year 1999, he had put in over 6 years of service and had developed into a committed soldier capable of handling various operational tasks.
Batalik Operation (J&K) : 23 Aug 1999
During July-Aug 1999, Rfn Phurba Tamang's unit 4/3 GR was deployed in the Batalik sector of Ladakh and was part of "Operation Vijay". Though the Kargil war ended on 26 July 1999, the situation along the LOC was tense during Aug 1999, and the troops were on alert for any eventualities. Besides facing unprovoked firing from across the border, the AOR(Area of Responsibility) of the unit also fell into the region affected by active militancy which demanded high alert at all times on the part of the troops. In addition to manning various posts, the area was monitored and guarded by the security forces by employing armed patrols on a continuous basis. On 23 Aug 1999, based on the information from the intelligence sources, 4/3 GR battalion decided to launch an operation against the infiltrators in an area that fell in its AOR(Area of Responsibility). Rfn Phurba Tamang was made part of the team that was assigned the task of undertaking this operation.
As Rfn Phurba Tamang and his comrades reached the suspected area, they came under attack with a heavy volume of enemy fire. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Rfn Phurba Tamang immediately swung into action and provided covering fire to his comrades. The terrain was rocky and slippery and posed serious challenges while advancing. Rfn Phurba Tamang while maneuvering, slipped and fell off the cliff. As a result, he suffered severe injuries and soon succumbed to his injuries. Rfn Phurba Tamang was a determined and courageous soldier, who laid down his life at the age of 26 years in the line of his duty.
Rfn Phurba Tamang is survived by his wife Smt Sunita Tamang and daughter Ms Prijita Tamang.
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