Subedar Sanjay Kumar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Subedar Sanjay Kumar

• Subedar Sanjay Kumar is an Indian Army JCO, who was awarded India’s highest military award, Param Vir Chakra for displaying courage and devotion towards his duty for the country on the frontline during Kargil War 1999.

  

• Sanjay Kumar joined the Army in the year 1996, but before that he used to work as a taxi driver in Bilaspur. Sanjay Kumar was determined to join the Indian Army and his application was rejected twice before he was finally selected to join the army.

• Sanjay studied till 10th standard and had to leave school as his parents could not afford to pay for his education anymore. Sanjay belongs to a family with an army background. His uncle had served in the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles battalion and lost his life during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. Sanjay wished to join the same regiment and went to the Branch Recruiting Office to get enrolled. Sanjay’s brothers are serving with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

• In the Kargil War of 1999, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar volunteered to be the leader of the team of the 13th Battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, now referred to as ’13 JAK RIF’, was given the task to capture the Area Flat Top of Point 4875 in the Mushkoh valley. The area was captured by Pakistani troops. During the fight, the Indian troops were pinned down 150 metres away from the enemy bunker.

• Sanjay Kumar realized the magnitude of the problem and decided to proceed alone. He crawled up the ledge and charged towards the bunker in-between heavy firing. He got hit by the bullets in his chest twice and once in his forearm. He continued to charge towards the enemy bunker and he killed three soldiers from Pakistan in hand-to-hand combat. Sanjay then picked up an enemy UMG gun and charged towards the second enemy bunker and killed all of them. On seeing his courage, the rest of the platoon also charged, assaulted the remaining Pakistani soldiers, and captured Area Flat Top of Point 4875.

• On 19 July 2014, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Kargil war, Sanjay Kumar was promoted as a junior commissioned officer (JCO) to the post of Naib Subedar. After the promotion, Sanjay Kumar got posted to Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, to teach upcoming officers and trainees of the armed forces.

• Since 1950, only 21 soldiers have received the Param Vir Chakra award. Sanjay was only 23 years old when he received India’s highest wartime gallantry award. Along with Sanjay, Captain Vikram Batra, and Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav also received the award.

  

• The diary entry of the 13 JAK RIF battalion reads the battle account of the events that took place on 4th July 1999. The diary entry reads about the act of bravery of Sanjay Kumar-
  

  Number 13760533Y Rifleman Sanjay Kumar volunteered to be the leading scout of the attacking column tasked to capture area Flat Top on July 4, 1999. As the attack progressed, the enemy’s automatic fire from one of the bunkers posed a stiff opposition thereby stalling the column. Rifleman Sanjay, realising the gravity of the situation, displayed indomitable spirit, grit, determination and unadulterated courage, when he charged the enemy bunker with utter disregard to personal safety. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, he killed three of the intruders and despite being injured, charged on to the second bunker. The enemy was taken totally by surprise and they left behind one universal machine gun and started running. Rifleman Sanjay picked up the left-behind weapon by the enemy and killed the fleeing enemy. Although Rifleman Sanjay was profusely bleeding from his wounds, he refused to be evacuated and kept encouraging his comrades till he was finally evacuated. This super human act of Rifleman Sanjay motivated his comrades, who took no notice of the treacherous terrain, and charged on to the enemy thus clearing the enemy position with vengeance in their hearts, thereby wresting area Flat Top from the hands of the enemy.”

• On 15 August 2018, Republic TV broadcasted a special show- ‘Heroes of India’ on the occasion of 72nd Independence Day of India, which celebrated the army officers who sacrificed for the country. On this occasion, Naib Subedar Sanjay Kumar talked to Arnab Goswami and (Retd.) Major Gaurav Arya.

• Subedar Sanjay Kumar featured on the Karam Veer special episode of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ on 22 January 2021 with Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav, fellow Param Vir Chakra awardee. This is the grand finale episode of the 12th season of the show.