The Newz Radar
DHARAMSHALA: A family from Manoh Sihal, a small village in Fatehpur tehsil of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, has done the region proud by contributing a third-generation officer to the Indian Army.
Lt Abhimanyu Guleria was commissioned in the Rajput Regiment from Officers Training Academy at Gaya in Bihar on Saturday (December 9, 2023). Lt Abhimanyu’s father Brigadier Vikram Guleria, a serving officer in the Army, and his grandfather Col SS Guleria (retd) were also commissioned in the Rajput Regiment.
With his technical background, Lt Abhimanyu had the option of joining the Engineer Regiment, but he chose to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and opted for the Infantry.
The story of the Guleria family is an inspiration to all the youths and people of Himachal Pradesh who have sacrificed their lives to safeguard the honour of the country. Though Himachal Pradesh accounts for a mere .57 per cent of the country’s population, it makes up for 4 per cent of the Army’s strength.
Two Army officers from Kangra district, Major Som Nath Sharma and Capt Vikram Batra, have received India’s highest military gallantry award Param Vir Chakra. Major Som Nath Sharma was the first recipient of Param Vir Chakra. During World War-II, he had fought in the ‘Operation Arakan’ in the battle of Badgam when he and his men stemmed the tide of the enemy advance on Srinagar and the airfield for some very crucial hours.
Captain Vikram Batra was awarded the prestigious award for valour for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War in Kashmir between India and Pakistan. He led one of the toughest operations in mountain warfare in Indian history. He was often referred to as ‘’Sher Shah’’ (“Lion King”) in the intercepted messages of the Pakistan army. He was from Palampur. Captain Saurabh Kalia, also from Palampur in Kangra, too was martyred in the Kargil operation.
