Madal Lal

Madal Lal (Havaldar) (02.03.1961 - 05.07.1999) - Vir Chakra (Posthumous) from village Ban Talab (बन तलब) in Jammu district in Jammu-Kashmir. He became martyr in Kargil War on 5 July 1999. He was in Unit - 18 Grenadiers.

He was part of the Commando 'Ghatak' Platoon tasked to capture three strategic bunkers on Tiger Hill, whose gunner Yogendra Singh Yadav was awarded Paramvir Chakra while fighting with 12 Northern Light Infantry of Pakistan in Dras sector of Kargil area to recapture the Tiger hill on 04 July 1999.

Facts as narrated by Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav

It was 10:30 a.m. on July 5, 1999 at 16,500 feet above the sea level. We were 25 soldiers of the 18 Granadiers unit of the Indian Army. We were ordered to advance to capture Tiger Hill in the Drass Sector. After scaling the rocks for three nights, we were just 50 metres below Tiger Hill. As chance would have it, a stone slipped during our scaling operation. As the stone rolled down, it provoked heavy crossfire from the Pakistani bunkers which were just 10 meters above us. Due to the heavy firing, 18 of our jawans and officers had to retreat. Now, we were just seven jawans near the Pakistani bunkers. We were in a precarious situation, neither could we advance nor retreat. We thus had to wait for the right opportunity. By then, the enemy had deployed a company of 135 soldiers on top of Tiger Hill. After the firing stopped, we (seven of us) slowly began advancing to capture the Pakistani bunkers, just 10 metres away from us. At about 11:30 a.m. we opened fire at the bunker and gunned down four Pakistani soldiers. After we captured the Pakistani bunker, the Pakistan Army from the top of Tiger Hill sent 10 jawans to assess our strength.

Tiger Hill was just 40 metres away from us. As they moved near, we gunned down eight of them. Two escaped and reported back to their bosses that there were seven of us. After the preparations at 11:30 a.m. on the same day, 100 Pakistani Army men attacked our bunker. The attack was fierce, though we could gun down 35 Pakistani soldiers, I lost all six of my comrades. I carried 25 kg of ammunition with me and I almost got my ammunition exhausted and a re-supply wasn't possible from below. It was a very critical time. I was the sole survivor with six of my colleagues already dead and I was amid the corpses of Indian and Pakistani soldiers. The Pakistani troops thought they had destroyed the Indian Army below Tiger Hill. To ensure that all Indian jawans were dead, they shot at the bodies of Indian soldiers. I sustained about 15 gunshot injuries on my legs, arms, thigh and in other parts of my body. The Pakistanis were sure that I was dead. Then they took away the weapons from the bodies. But one soldier forgot the grenade that lay in my pocket. Meanwhile, I regained consciousness. And after that things moved fast. I took out my grenade, pulled the pin and threw it at the enemy. It fell in the enemy's cap which was hanging behind his neck. It exploded before he could react. After the explosion, his body was blown off in the air plunging the Pakistani Army camp into confusion - they thought that the Indian Army had attacked.

By then, I picked up the Peeka Rifle of a Pakistani soldier lying nearby and I opened fire which left five Pakistani soldiers dead. After my attack, the enemy camp thought that it was the Indian Army which had attacked them. I heard the order on their wireless to retreat from the Tiger Hill and further heard the instruction to attack the Indian MMG-base 500 metres below Tiger Hill. My main task was now to save the MMG base. But by that time, I had lost too much blood and was unable to stay conscious. I decided to move through a drain. I dumped myself in the drain covering my head. Now within five minutes I was below 400 meters and I saw my boss, Lieutenant Balwan. I told him that the Pakistanis wanted to attack the MMG base and had vacated Tiger Hill. On this tip-off, the officials deployed 'Charlie' and 'Delta' companies at Tiger Hill and deployed 'Bravo' company to save the MMG base. After a few minutes, Pakistani forces attacked the MMG base. This battle resulted in all the Pakistani soldiers being killed, since we had prior information of their arrival. Meanwhile, the 'Delta' and 'Charlie' companies had captured Tiger Hill. The war of seven hours was over and this is how we won Tiger Hill!

After the war

The Param Vir Chakra was announced for Yadav posthumously, but it was soon discovered that he was recuperating in a hospital, and it was his namesake that had been slain in the mission. ^[1]

जीवन परिचय

अपनी वीरता के लिए मरणोपरांत 'वीर चक्र' प्राप्त कराने वाले हवलदार मदन लाल १८ ग्रेनेडियर्स की उस घातक प्लाटून के जांबाज थे जिसके गनर योगेन्द्र सिंह यादव रणक्षेत्र में बहादुरी दिखाने के लिए मरणोपरांत परमवीर चक्र से सम्मानित किया गया. दिवानगढ़ तहसील आर.अस.पुरा जम्मू के मूल निवासी चौधरी करनैल सिंह के बहादुर पुत्र हवलदार मदन लाल १३ अप्रेल १९७८ को सेना में भरती हुए और हवलदार तक की प्रोन्नति अपने साहस और कठोर परिश्रम के बूते पर हासिल की. कारगिल सेक्टर के द्रास एरिया में टायगर हिल को पाकिस्तान की १२ नार्दर्न लाइट इन्फैंट्री के कब्जे से मुक्त कराने के अभियान में मदन लाल ने अद्भुत शौर्य का परिचय दिया. घातक कमांडो प्लाटून ने चार में से ऐसी दो चोटियों पर कब्जा कर लिया, जिससे टायगर हिल के शिखर पर तिरंगा पहरना सम्भव हो सका. पाकिस्तानियों को छकाते हुए हवलदार मदन लाल तथा ६ अन्य कमांडो ने चार बंकर भी साफ़ कर दिए. ४ जुलाई १९९९ की रात को पूर्ण विजय लगभग निश्चित थी कि एक ग्रेनेडियर से उत्साह में आकर ऐसी हरकत हो गई जिससे पीछे की ढलान पर खाना खा रहे २५ पाकिस्तानी सैनिक ख़बरदार हो गए और उन्होंने ४ MMG तथा राकेटों से धावा बोल दिया. हवलदार मदन लाल एवं अन्य सभी ६ कमांडो जोहर दिखाते हुए दुश्मन से लड़े मगर ५ जुलाई १९९९ को सातों कमांडो मातृभूमि की रक्षा में शहीद हो गए. इन वीरों की शहादत व्यर्थ नहीं गई. बाद में सभी पाकिस्तानियों को हताहत कर टायगर हिल को मुक्त करा लिया. शहीद हवलदार मदन लाल का परिवार बन तलब जम्मू में रहता है. शहीद के परिवार में उनकी पत्नी कमला, दो पुत्र और एक पुत्री है. ^[2]

हवलदार मदन लाल चौधरी 02-03-1961 - 05-07-1999 वीर चक्र (मरणोपरांत) वीरांगना - श्रीमती कमला देवी यूनिट - 18 ग्रेनेडियर्स रेजिमेंट टाइगर हिल की लड़ाई ऑपरेशन विजय कारगिल युद्ध 1999 हवलदार मदन लाल का जन्म 2 मार्च 1961 को जम्मू कश्मीर के जम्मू जिले की सुचेतगढ़ तहसील के दीवानगढ़ गांव में हुआ था। शिक्षा पूर्ण करके वह भारतीय सेना की ग्रेनेडियर्स रेजिमेंट में ग्रेनेडियर के पद पर भर्ती हुए थे।

स्रोत: रमेश शर्मा