Honouring the Bravest of the Brave

Kargil forged countless heroes, each embodying selfless courage and indomitable spirit.

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At the age of 19 years, he is recorded as the youngest person to ever be awarded the Param Vir Chakra. Yadav, enlisted with 18 Grenadiers, was part of the commando platoon 'Ghatak', tasked to capture three strategic bunkers on Tiger Hill in the early morning hours of 4 July 1999. The bunkers were situated at the top of a vertical, snow-covered, 1000-foot-high cliff face. Yadav, volunteering to lead the assault, climbed the cliff face and installed ropes that would allow further assaults on the feature. Halfway up, an enemy bunker opened up machine gun and rocket fire, killing the platoon commander and two others. In spite of having been hit by multiple bullets in his groin and shoulder, Yadav climbed the remaining 60 feet and reached the top. Though severely injured, he crawled to the first bunker and lobbed a grenade, killing four Pakistani soldiers and neutralizing enemy fire. This gave the rest of the platoon the opportunity to climb up the cliff face. Yadav then charged the second bunker along with two of his fellow soldiers and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, killing four Pakistani soldiers. Overall Yadav was hit by 14 bullets and played a major role in capture of Tiger hills. The platoon subsequently succeeded in capturing Tiger Hill. 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.