Sowar Sunil Kumar

Sowar Sunil Kumar hailed from Nagla Khari village in Govardhan tehsil of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh and was born on 25 Jun 1982. Son of Shri Bharat Singh and Smt Ramdehi Devi, he had two sisters Seema and Narmada as his siblings. He joined the army on 29 Oct 2002 at the age of 20 years after completing his school education. He was recruited into the 5 Armoured Regiment of the Armoured Corps, a corps well known for its powerful tanks and other heavy weaponry. 5 Armd Regt was raised on 1 December 1983 at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, with Lt Col JPS Hanspal as its first Commanding Offficer. The Regiment was initially equipped with Vijayanta tanks and later became the first regiment of the Indian Army to be equipped with T-90 tanks in 2002. 

After serving for a year he got married to Ms Preeti Devi on 22 Jun 2003 and the couple was blessed with a daughter Geetanjali and a son Shivam. He served in various operational areas after the initial training and developed into a devoted and professionally competent soldier. After serving with his parent unit for some time, he was later got deputed to serve with the 60 RR battalion, deployed in J&K for counter-insurgency operations. 

Operation Rakshak (J&K): 23 Oct 2006

During 2006, Swr Sunil Kumar’s unit 60 RR battalion was deployed in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. The unit was engaged in operations against the militants on a regular basis as part of "Operation Rakshak". On 23 Oct 2006, there was an attempt by the militants from across the border to infiltrate into Indian territory.  The troops of the 60 RR battalion were already on high alert as the intelligence sources had informed the security forces about such possible attempts along the LOC. On getting specific intelligence, the troops of the 60 RR battalion launched a search and cordon operation in the suspected area in its AOR(Area of Responsibility) in Rajauri-Poonch sector. Swr Sunil Kumar was part of the team that was entrusted with the task of taking on the infiltrators.

As the search for the target was in progress, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire. Sensing danger, Swr Sunil Kumar and his comrades immediately swung into action and took on the militants. With utter disregard to his personal safety, Swr Sunil Kumar repositioned himself and retaliated with accurate fire. This action of Swr Sunil Kumar blocked the escape route of terrorists but they continued to fire. In the continuing gunfight, Swr Sunil Kumar got severely injured with multiple gunshots. He was later shifted to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Swr Sunil Kumar was a valiant and dedicated soldier, who at the young age of 24 years, laid down his life in the service of the nation.

Sowar Sunil Kumar is survived by his wife Smt Preeti Devi, daughter Geetanjali, and son Shivam.