Sepoy Kuldeep Lakra

Sepoy Kuldeep Lakra hailed from Bishakha Tanga village in Ranchi district of Jharkhand. Sep Lakra was the only son among four siblings. of his parents. He joined the army in 2014 at the age of 18 years. He was recruited into 21 Bihar of the Bihar Regiment, an infantry regiment well known for its gallant soldiers.

After completing his training at Danapur Cantonment in Patna, Sep Lakra got posted to Jammu and Kashmir. He visited his family in November 2016 which turned out to be his last visit. In J & K his unit 21 Bihar was deployed along the LoC.

Avalanche in Batalik Sector: 07th April 2017

During 2017, Sep Lakra’s unit was deployed in the Batalik sector of Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir. During the first week, of Apr 2017, a western disturbance over J & K triggered heavy rainfall and snow for over three days. This caused swelling of rivers and inundation of vast areas in J&K. The heavy snowfall also triggered multiple avalanches in J&K and one such avalanche struck the Batalik sector on 7th Apr 2017. The soldiers of 21 Bihar were manning the forward posts in the sector on that day. The horrific avalanche in Batalik sector hit one such army post and trapped five soldiers of 21 Bihar battalion. Sep Lakra was one of the five soldiers who got trapped under tons of snow.

The army pressed in the specialized avalanche rescue teams and equipment that continued the rescue operation despite hostile weather conditions. The team worked throughout the night in inhospitable weather and 15 feet snow and managed to rescue two soldiers. However, Sep Lakra, Hav Prabhu Kirke and L/Nk Bihari Marandi could not be saved. Sep Lakra was a dedicated and valiant soldier who laid down his life at the age of 22 years in the service of the nation. Sep Kuldeep Lakra is survived by his father, mother, and three sisters.