Digendra Kumar

Digendra Kumar Paraswal MVC, SM (born 3 July 1969) is a former soldier of the 2nd battalion of the Rajputana Rifles regiment of the Indian army. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra on 15 August 1999, for his acts of bravery in the Kargil War. He retired from the army on 31 July 2005.

Early life Kumar was born to Shivdan Singh and lived in the village of Jhalara Jat, Tehsil Neem-Ka-Thana, in the Sikar District in Rajasthan, India. His mother's name was Rajkaur. Shivdan Singh was a strong follower of Arya Samaj. Digendra Kumar joined the Indian Army and was badly wounded in Indo-Pakistani War of 1999. Kumar has a daughter (Samita) and two sons (Japender and Mahaveer). Mahaveer studied in Sanskar School Jaipur and is a national basketball player and the former captain of Rajasthan. Japender studies in Delhi Technological University (formerly DCE). Samita is a national Kabaddi player.

Career Kumar joined the 2nd Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles on 3 September 1985. After training was completed, his battalion was posted to Kashmir. In 1987 he was selected for the Indian Peace Keeping Force and took part in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka.

Operation Pawan Operation Pawan was the code name assigned to operations by the Indian Peace Keeping Force to take control of Jaffna from the LTTE in late 1987. Kumar and his group were assigned to patrol dominant areas in Tamil. Five Tamil militants fired and killed five soldiers from Kumar's squad. In return, Kumar and the remaining soldiers of his squad followed the militants into the house of an MLA. However, the MLA opposed the action, and in the ensuing firefight the MLA, along with the five Tamil militants, was killed. This caused some controversy, and Kumar was penalised and remanded.

Medals and awards

Mahavir Chakra The nation's second-highest wartime gallantry award, the Mahavir Chakra, was awarded to Kumar on 15 August 1999, for daring actions and service to his country during the Kargil War, specifically by occupying Tololing Hill.

Other awards Kumar was awarded the Sena Medal in 1993 for his anti-terrorist operations in the Kupwara area of Jammu-Kashmir. In 1994 his services were appreciated for recapturing the Hazratbal Shrine from terrorists.

In popular culture The 2003 Bollywood war film LOC Kargil is based on the Kargil War. It was written and directed by J. P. Dutta. Actor Avtar Gill played the role of Digendra Kumar.