Skip to main content

The Hero of Batalik

Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey was commissioned in 1995 1/11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army, a unit known for its brave soldiers and various heroics.

Before his selection, during his interview with the Service Selection Board (SSB), the interviewer asked him, "Why do you want to join the army?"  Without thinking too much, he replied, "I want to earn the Param Vir Chakra" and he did it but unfortunately, he never lived to receive it personally. In his diary he wrote:  "Some goals are so valuable that even missing them is wonderful"

On June 11, 1999, Captain Manoj Pandey was stationed in the Batalik Sector. He had pushed the intruders back there and led his men to capture the summit of Junnar, an important strategic location. In fact Capt. Manoj Pandey took part in many attacks in operation Vijay.


On July 3, he and his team advanced towards the Khalbur mountain range, north of the Indus, and as they approached the final section, they found themselves exposed to heavy enemy fire from the surrounding heights. Pandey advanced, trying to vacate the enemy position, trying to shield his battalion from visibility and prevent them from being in a vulnerable position.


He assaulted the primary enemy position by killing 2 personnel and destroyed the enemy position as well. While doing so he was seriously injured but still he advanced towards the third. Without being concerned for his grave accidents he destroyed them and advanced for the fourth, where he got bitterly injured.

“Na chhodnu” have been his very last words. The valor of Capt. Manoj Pandey brought about the seize of Khalubar.
He is fondly remembered as the “Hero of Batalik”

In 2000, Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, as was his dream.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lone Wolf - Jaswant Singh Rawat

Jaswant Singh Rawat was born on 19th August 1941  to Guman Singh Rawat in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Rawat joined the Indian Army on 19th August 1960, aged 19 years, as a Rifleman. On 17th November 1962, when the troops of Garhwal Rifles had been ordered to retreat from the Battle of Nuranang (Sino-Indian War), Rawat refused to budge and desert his post. It was the final phase of the war, which had in any other case fared poorly for the Indian Army because the Indian troops started to fray from a scarcity of manpower and ammunition. So when the Chinese attacked that morning from the Sela top, they did now no longer assume to come upon the daredevilry and uncommon braveness of a younger Indian soldier to come in their way and ruin their larger plans. The attack, which began out in the morning on seventeenth November, went on for the next 72 hours. At one point, when the Chinese came too close to his company with an MMG, Jaswant determined to make the final sacrifice and went ahead...
Post a Comment
Read more

India's New Sea Beast - INS VIKRANT

India's first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant, the largest warship to be built in the country , has completed its crucial sea trials and is scheduled to enter the services in less than a year. The carrier is named after  INS Vikrant, India's first aircraft carrier which was decommissioned in 1997. Many experts believe that an aircraft carrier is necessary for a navy as well as a nation to be capable of projecting strength and power across the high seas. Since the carrier is a valuable and sometimes vulnerable target, it is usually escorted into the group by destroyers, missile cruisers, frigates, submarines, and supply ships. As of now, only five or six nations have the capability to build an aircraft carrier and India is now joining this elite club. Experts and naval officials said India has demonstrated the ability and self-reliance to build one of the most advanced and complex battleships in the world. The previous aircraft carriers in India were built by the Br...
Post a Comment
Read more