Subedar Sanjay Kumar is an Indian Army Junior Commissioned Officer (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 of 1999. He was a part of the 13 JAK RIF battalion.
Wiki/Biography
Sanjay Kumar was born on Wednesday, 3 March 1976 (age 45 years; as of 2021), in Kalol Bakain, Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Pisces. Sanjay Kumar completed his schooling at Government Senior Secondary School, Bilaspur. He wanted to join the Indian Army, so he began preparing for the entrance exams.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black
Family & Caste
Parents & Siblings
Sanjay Kumar’s father’s name is Durga Ram, and his mother’s name is Bhag Devi. Sanjay Kumar is the youngest among six siblings. He has two elder brothers and three elder sisters.
Wife & Children
Sanjay Kumar got married to Promila on 17 April 2000. They have a daughter and a son together.
Subedar Sanjay Kumar with his wife, Promila
Subedar Sanjay Kumar with his kids
Career
After completing his 10th standard, Sanjay Kumar had to drop out of school and find a job to take care of his financial expenses. Sanjay Kumar was determined to join the Indian Army as a rifleman for the 13th JAK RIF regiment as his uncle was also a part of the regiment who laid down his life during the 1965 Indo-Pak war for the country. Sanjay got rejected by the Branch Recruiting Office, after which, he moved to Delhi to learn driving and came back to Bilaspur to become a taxi driver. He again got rejected by the recruiting office, but the third time turned out to be a charm as he was finally selected to join the Indian Army in the year 1996. Sanjay Kumar was enrolled in the 13th Jammu and Kashmir Rifles battalion, where he served as a rifleman.
Param Vir Chakra
During the Kargil War of 1999, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar volunteered to be the leader of the scout that was given the task to attack and capture the Flat Top of Point 4875 in the Mushkoh Valley on 4 July 1999. While his squad was headed to capture the points, Pakistani soldiers began firing with automatic rifles and machine guns to stop the squad from reaching the bunkers. Sanjay Kumar realized the importance of this task and the gravity of the situation and charged towards the bunkers. He managed to kill three soldiers in hand-to-hand combat and sustained severe injuries. Despite the injuries, charged towards the second bunker; taken by surprise, the Pakistani soldiers left their UMG (Universal Machine Gun) behind which Sanjay used to kill the escaping enemies. With utter disregard for his own safety, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar was awarded India’s highest military award, Param Vir Chakra for displaying courage and devotion towards the country.
Subedar Sanjay Kumar receiving the Param Vir Chakra Award
Controversy
In 2010, Subedar Sanjay Kumar was demoted from Havildar rank to Lance Naik. Indian Army refused to answer any questions regarding his demotion, but the army continued to refer to him as a havildar for any press release. Later, in 2014, Sanjay Kumar was promoted to Naib Subedar and became a Joint Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Indian Army. After the 2010 demotion incident, Sanjay Kumar’s promotion has been an issue for a long time. The 2010 demotion matter was also buried by the intervention of the higher authorities. They also stated that the promotions are done on the basis of the seniority level of the soldier and no priority is given to any soldier.
Facts/Trivia
- Since 1950, only 21 soldiers have received the Param Vir Chakra award. Sanjay Kumar, Bana Singh, and Major Yogendra Singh Yadav are the only three living recipients of the Param Vir Chakra Award. Along with Sanjay Kumar and Yogendra Singh Yadav, Captain Vikram Batra also received the Param Vir Chakra for displaying his courage and devotion for the country on the battlefield.
Subedar Sanjay Kumar (right) with Bana Singh (middle) and Yogendra Singh Yadav (left)
- On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Kargil War, Sanjay Kumar was promoted and became a Joint Commissioned Officer (JCO). Sanjay Kumar got posted to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, to train the upcoming officers and trainees.
- The diary entry of the 13 JAK RIF from 4th July 1999 was revealed and it reads the act of bravery displayed by Subedar 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.”
- Republic TV broadcasted a special show ‘Heroes of India’ on 15th August 2018. The special show was broadcasted on the news channel to celebrate the 72nd Independence Day of India. The show celebrated the army officers who made sacrifices for the country. For this episode, Naib Subedar Sanjay Kumar was invited and he talked about his time of war with Arnab Goswami and (Retd.) Major Gaurav Arya.
- Subedar Sanjay Kumar and Major Yogendra Singh Yadav featured on the Karam Veer episode of the show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati.’ The episode aired on 22 January 2021 and it was the last episode of the 12th season of the show.
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