Captain Vijayant Thapar VRC

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Capt Vijayant Thapar was born on 26 Dec 1976 in a military family to Colonel V N Thapar and Mrs Tripta Thapar.

At the time of his birth his father was posted in Pathankot with an armoured brigade and so his name was kept 'VIJAYANT' the main battle tank of the army. Having brought up in the army family Capt Thapar always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father. his childhood toys were guns and he would often march around wearing his father’s peak cap and holding his cane like an officer.

He studied at Tara hall,ST Mary's Academy and finally he finished his schooling from DAV college Chandigarh.He graduated from Khalsa College Delhi,he was a guy full of life and was a nature lover too his hobbies included swimming and bodybuilding.He was called Robin because of his love for nature.The carefree years of his early life were spent in an ancient mansion at Barrackpore, a military cantonment area in Kolkata,his sparkling childhood memories included running around in sprawling garden with his dogs and catching dragon flies.

In the evening,he would be in the Paltan, watching wrestlers,boxers and other sportsmen.At the age of five,he had already fired a pistol while sitting in his father's lap.

As a person, he was very kindhearted, considerate and frugal. He took to religion early in his life and wanted to live the life of a Puritan. He maintained a balanced diet and worked hard in the gym in order to be fit.

He worked hard with all his dedication to pursue his dreams of joining the armed forces and finally he was selected in Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun.

TRAINING AT INDIAN MILITARY ACADEMY

IMA stay was the best and happiest period of his life.He received a silver medal for being the second best cadet in the first term.He was also awarded a gold medal for water polo.Being adventerous he did his parasailing in the mountains of pithorgarh and then he completed his para jumps.After being commisioned on 12 December 1998,he joined 2 Rajputana Rifles at Gwalior.

STORY OF A KASHMIRI GIRL

Captain Vijayant Thapar after staying for a month in Gwalior with his company was send to Kupwara district of jammu and kashmir where he had been into two fierce battle of life and death,meanwhile he met Ruksana a kashmiri girl who has lost her voice after his father Mohammed Akbar was killed in front of her by the militants of kashmir.She lost all her hope but soon she discovered her Knight in the shinning armour when a company of 2 Rajputana Rifles visited her school in Kandi village. Vijayant met the girl through the principal of school and started loving the child immensly.

Captain Thapar and his sahayak sepoy Jagmal Singh Shekhawat used to steal sweets and toffees from the unit and visit ruksana every evening to give them to her.

immense care of Captain VIjayant Thapar paid off when Ruksana started to speak again minutes before going to lead his men in the bttle field he spoke to his mom about ruksana and also in the last letter he wrote to his family he told them to donate the money in orphanage and send some money to the poor family of Ruksana every month.

OPERATIONS IN KARGIL WAR

BATTLE OF TOLOLING

Vijayant moved to Dras with his unit under Col M.B. Ravindernath commanding officer and his company commander Major Padmapani Acharya. The battalion was then given the task of capturing Tololing.Earlier attempts to capture Tololing by other units had failed with heavy losses,after the initial assault by Major Mohit saxena was held up.On the night of 12 june 1999 Captain Vijayant Thapar led his platoon to capture pakistani post called barbad bunker.A photo printed in the newspaper showed a Vijayant sitting with the dead bodies of pakistani soldiers and the arms left behind by a fleeing enemy.His letter after the battle describes the scene with dead pakistani soldiers lying all around and his disappointment at not being able to catch two pakistani soldier alive.

CAPTURING OF THREE PIMPLE KNOTS

After the victory at Tololing ,Vijayant was tasked to capture three pimple knots in Black Rocks Complex,an ugly mountain sandwiched between Tololing and Tiger Hill.it was a full moon night and the enemy had good visiblity. Moreover,this was an impregnable position to capture. The troops of 6 Northern Light Infantry(pakistan) had all the advantages.Well entrenched in strongly prepared positions.well stocked and with only one narrow 'knife edge' ridge to cover.with precipitous slopes on both sides and ravines thousands of feet deep,devoid of cover and almost vertical climbs at an altitude of 15000 ft and temperatures of -15 degree celsius,it was indeed an impossible mission.

However,men of the unit were fired by the success at Tololing and were raging to go.The attack started with a fierce artilery barrage of a hundred guns,with Vijayant's platoon leading.The enemy responded equally intense and accurate bombardment on the attacking troops. in this artillery attack,Robin lost some of his men and some more were injured causing the attack to be disrupted.However with his never give up spirit and tremendous urge to capture it,he got together the remnants of his men and moved through a ravine and rejoined his company.In the melee earlier,Vijayant's platoon had been separated from his company while the exchange of fierce fire was going on Vijayant reached his company,which had already secured a small foothold on Knot.

By this time his company commander Major P Acharya had attained martyrdom At this news Vijayant's anger was at its peak.He surged ahead along the narrow ridge with his sahayak Naik Tilak singh Both of them started engaging the enemy merely 10-15 metre away.There were two enemy machine guns firing toward them.After about an hour and a half of fierce exchange of bulltes and abuses,Vijayant decided to finish the enemy with a counter attcak and so he rushed toward the enemy bunker and in between that he was hit by a burst on his forehead and fell in the hands of Naik Tilak singh,it was after that the men of his copmany charged and fuly captured the knot but that night took a heavy cost from the Indian army in which 3 officers,10 other ranks were martyred and several others were severely injured.

VIR CHAKRA CITATION

On 28 June 1999 Captain Vijayant Thapar was commanding the Leading platoon of Alfa Company, which was tasked to assault area Knoll in Drass Sector from the north during Operation Vijay. While advancing, the platoon was hit by accurate enemy artillery barrage and it suffered heavy casualties. Captain Thapar organized evacuation of the casualties and quickly rallied his shell-shocked platoon for the attack. Personally leading the attack from the Northern face against enemy’s Medium Machine Gun fire, which was holding up the Company’s assault, he fearlessly charged at the enemy position firing from the hip and throwing grenades. During this act, he was grievously injured in the hand and stomach but continued to advance ordering his men to follow him. Roused by the actions of their young Platoon Commander barely out of the Academy, the platoon charged up the hill against the dominating enemy position. This audacious action unnerved and forced the enemy to abandon a tactically superior position. The officer, however, succumbed to his injuries.

Captain Vijayant Thapar, thus, displayed remarkable cool, raw courage and exemplary valour and made the supreme sacrifice while facing the enemy.

Father's Message

Son,

The brave way you left this world, at the age of 22 is a measure of how you lived your short life and what you valued. In meeting the stark challenges of capturing Knoll against all odds, during the battle of Three Pimples with heroic coolness and single minded devotion to duty, you have achieved immortal honour. In death you have epitomised the spirit of national pride - an honour which makes every sacrifice worthwhile. Your actions will forever inspire generations of Indians to come. You have left us with pride for being the parents of a worthy son and a lifetime of pain for having lost a child we loved.
-- Col. V.N. Thapar

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