Sepoy SSP Gupta SM

Sepoy Shivshankar Prasad Gupta hailed from Bancher Bagda village in Rafi Ganj tehsil of Aurangabad district in Bihar. Son of Shri Nandlal Prasad Gupta and Smt Poonam Devi, Sep Shivshankar Prasad joined the Army on 28 Oct 1996 after completing his school education. He was recruited into 1 Bihar battalion of the Bihar Regiment, a regiment known for its fearless soldiers and numerous battle honours. The Bihar Regiment was raised in the year 1941 by regularising the 11 (Territorial) Battalion, and 19 Hyderabad Regiment and raising new battalions. The Regiment participated in World War II, and the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 & 1971 admirably and proved its mettle in various operations. Sep Shivshankar Prasad's unit 1 Bihar battalion was moved from Assam to Jammu & Kashmir for the Kargil operation in 1999. 

Operation Vijay (Kargil War): 29 May 1999

During May 1999, Sep Shivshankar Gupta’s unit 1 Bihar under the command of Col O P Yadav, got deployed in the Batalik sub-sector of Ladakh. As 'Operation Vijay' was launched on 26 May, the unit troops were tasked to capture the enemy’s nearest observation post on Jubar Complex, the Jubar OP, at the height of 16,400 feet. However, the first attack failed due to the lack of time given for acclimatization. Within a week from the first attack, 1 Bihar launched an attack on the Jubar Hill and despite stiff resistance, a small location near Jubar Hill was captured by the dawn. Thereafter, on 28 May 1999, Sep S S P Gupta's sub-unit the Charlie Company was assigned the task of capturing Point 4268 on Jubar Ridge, a well-fortified enemy post at an altitude of 14,000 feet in the Batalik sub-sector of Kargil. The company was being commanded by a courageous and gallant officer, Major M Saravanan. 

On 28 May 1999, Sep Shivshankar Gupta as a part of Charlie Company, attacked a well-fortified enemy station at a height of 14,000 feet in the Batalik sub-sector of Kargil. After a four-hour approach march, the assault on the enemy began at 0400 hours on May 29, 1999. Under intense enemy artillery and small arms fire, Sep Gupta and his comrades charged at the enemy sangar. Sep Shivshankar Gupta displaying commendable courage and fighting spirit, kept advancing under the courageous leadership of Major M Saravanan. However, during the fierce exchange of fire, Sep Shivshankar Gupta got severely injured. He soon succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Besides Sep Shivshankar Gupta, the other brave hearts, who laid down their lives in this operation included their 'Company Commander' Major M Saravanan, Nk Ganesh Prasad Yadav, Sep Pramod Kumar, Sep Hardeo Prasad, and L/Nk Bidyanand Singh. Sep Shivshankar Gupta was a valiant and dedicated soldier, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation. He was given the gallantry award, “Sena Medal” (posthumous) for his exceptional courage, devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice.

Sep Shivshankar Prasad Gupta is survived by his wife Smt Rekha Devi.