Sep Ajay Kumar SC

Sepoy Ajay Kumar hailed from Kotla Panjola village of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh was born on 25 June 1992. Son of Shri Suresh Kumar Kaundal and Smt Kamla Devi, Sep Ajay joined the Indian army after completing his schooling. He was recruited into 8 Mech Inf of the Mechanized Infantry Regiment in September 2013 at the age of 21 years. After serving for a few years, he was deputed to serve with 42 Rashtriya Rifles deployed in the Pulwama district of Jammu & Kashmir for counterinsurgency operations.

Tral Operation(J&K) : 24 April  2018

During 2018, Sep Ajay’s unit 42 RR was deployed in the Tral area of Pulwama district in J&K. Tral town in Pulwama district was a hotbed of militancy and one of the most volatile areas in Jammu & Kashmir. The area, veined with cool streams and covered with apple orchards, was bordered by the Dachigam forests which give way to mountains that were contiguous to the Sindh and Indus Valleys. These remote reaches were believed to harbour militants. On April 24th, Sepoy Kumar’s unit received intelligence about the presence of terrorists in the Lama forest area of Tral. After analyzing the situation, a decision was taken by the security forces to launch a joint operation to flush out the militants.

Consequently, the joint team comprising members of Army’s 42 RR unit, the state police’s Special Operations Group(SOG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) swung into action and intercepted the terrorists in the suspected area.  On being challenged, the militants started firing at the security troops. The cross-fire that ensued thereafter continued for several hours and four suspected terrorists were killed in the encounter. At about 0640 hours on 24 April, Ghatak Platoon began search operations for the militant hideout. Sep Ajay was tasked to be a scout in the initial search for the militants and drew heavy firing from the terrorists. Sensing danger to his comrades, Sep Ajay, displaying admirable courage and grit engaged with the enemy to enable his team to take cover without sustaining any losses.

During the heavy exchange of fire, Sep Ajay Kumar eliminated one terrorist but sustained serious injuries including a gunshot wound to his head. He was shifted to 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar where he later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Sep Ajay was a courageous soldier, who displayed bravery and presence of mind in a trying situation to safeguard his team and neutralize the enemy. Sepoy Ajay Kumar was given the gallantry award, “Shaurya Chakra” for his exemplary courage, fighting spirit, and supreme sacrifice.

Sepoy Ajay Kumar is survived by his father Shri Suresh Kumar Kaundal and mother Smt Kamla Devi.

The citation for the “Shaurya Chakra” awarded to Sep Ajay Kumar reads:

On 24 April 2018, Sepoy Ajay Kumar of the 42 Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles (Assam) was deployed as Scout in the initial search during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir. At approximately 0640 hours on 24 April 2018, the battalion Ghatak Platoon started the search for a likely hideout area. While the parties were approaching the area, Sepoy Ajay Kumar and Sepoy L Roshan Kom performing the duties of scouts of Battalion Ghatak Platoon drew a heavy volume of fire from terrorists. The scouts retaliated and were engaged with grenades by the terrorists.

Sensing grave danger to his party Sepoy Ajay Kumar deliberately depriving himself of cover and displaying raw courage and nerves of steel, fired back on the terrorist enabling his team to move to cover without sustaining any injury. In this engagement, Sepoy Ajay Kumar eliminated A++ (Foreign Terrorist), while sustaining a gunshot wound on the head. Sepoy Ajay Kumar displayed courage, exceptional valour and presence of mind in extremely challenging conditions to neutralize the terrorist and safeguard his team