Rifleman Sanjay Kumar's bravery is legendary in Kargil War tales
Rifleman Sanjay Kumar's bravery is legendary in Kargil War tales
What else could introduce Rifleman Sanjay Kumar better than the fact that he is among the three surviving Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardees in the country. The country's highest gallantry award is reserved for the bravest of the brave.
A soft-spoken man from Himachal Pradesh, Kumar is legendary as the ruthless soldier who killed Pakistanis by snatching their guns that were burning hot after nonstop firing at Indians.
"Josh ho to sab ho jaata hai. Us waqt aur kuch khayaal hi nahi tha. Pakistaniyon ne hamare saathi maare the, hamein badla lena tha," said the courageous soldier.
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Kumar was only 24-year-old, when he left his home and fiancu00e9e to fight the war. "Initially, our unit was fighting for Point 5140 on Tololing Hills. We missed our families but could only think of victory," he said.
After Tololing, Kumar's unit zeroed in on Point 4875 and after a recce, the Indian Army launched its attack with two of its companies in the front line and others providing support from the back.
Kumar volunteered to be the leading scout of the Charlie Company that was asked to capture Flat Top on way to Point 4875.
"We launched our mission on the night of July 4 and as soon as we closed in on the Pakistani bunkers, two of their Universal Machine Guns (UMG) started firing at us," said Kumar.
With a clear view of all movement along the bare mountain slope, the Pakistanis kept hitting accurately at Indian troops. The casualty rate was very high. Sanjay, who was in the front line, realised the gravity of the situation and charged towards the enemy bunkers.
Before others could realise anything, Sanjay started moving towards the Pakistani bunkers. He was hit in the hand and legs. Bleeding profusely, he kept firing and moving closer. As soon as he reached the bunkers, he ducked and caught hold of their guns with his bare hands. His action caught the Pakistanis by surprise who started to flee but by then Kumar had reversed the heavy UMG in their direction and soon all the Pakistanis manning the bunkers were dead.
But the rustic man, who is the youngest of three brothers and three sisters, found it difficult to believe that he had been awarded the PVC. "Sun kar to yakeen nahi aaya. Newspapers mein photo dekhi to yakeen hua ki main hi hoon. Jo maine kiya meri halaat mein koi bhi wahi karta (I couldn't believe I was being awarded the medal.
But I am not unique. Anyone else in my situation would have reacted in the same way," he said.
After 10 years of Kargil war, Kumar now enjoys telling his stories to his eight-year-old son Neeraj and four-year-old daughter Muskan. "For them, it is like a fairytale in which their father played a role," he said.
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