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{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Major]]
| name = Sudhir Kumar Walia
| honorific_suffix = [[Ashok Chakra Award|AC]], [[Aide-de-camp|ADC]], [[Sena Medal|SM]] & [[Sena Medal|Bar]]
| native_name_lang =
| image = Sudhir Kumar Walia.jpg
| image_size = 250 px
| caption = Portrait of Major Sudhir Kumar Walia
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1969|5|24|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|08|29|1969|5|24|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Banuri, Himachal Pradesh|Banuri]], [[Palampur]], [[Kangra district|Kangra]], [[Himachal Pradesh]]
| death_place = [[Martyred in action|Killed in Action]] at Haphruda Forest, [[Kupwara]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial =
| allegiance = {{flagicon|India}} [[India]]
| branch = [[File:Flag of Indian Army.svg|24px]] [[Indian Army]]
| unit = [[Para (Special Forces)|9 Para (SF)]] [[Jat Regiment|4 Jat]]
| battles = [[Operation Vijay (1999)|Operation Vijay]] [[Insurgency in Kashmir|Counter-Insurgency]]
| serviceyears = 1988 – 1999
| rank = [[File:Major of the Indian Army.svg|20px]] [[Major]]
| awards = [[File:Ashoka Chakra ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashoka Chakra]] [[File:Sena_Medal_ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Sena Medal]] ([[Medal bar|Bar]]) [[File:Sena_Medal_ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Sena Medal]]
| alma_mater = [[Indian military academy]],
[[National Defence Academy]] [[Sainik School Sujanpur Tihra]]
| servicenumber = IC-47623P
}}
[[Major]] '''Sudhir Kumar Walia''', [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|AC]], [[Aide-de-camp|ADC]], [[Sena Medal|SM]] & [[Sena Medal|Bar]] (24 May 1969 - 29 August 1999), was an Officer in the [[Indian Army]] serving in the elite [[Para (Special Forces)|9 Para (SF)]].<ref name=RD>{{cite web|title=This soldier died for us|url=http://specials.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/19walia1.htm|website=Rediff.com}}</ref> He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration, by then [[President of India|President]], [[K. R. Narayanan|late K. R. Narayan]], in January 2000.

==Early life==
Sudhir was born in a Kalal family on May 24, 1969 in village Banuri tehsil Palampur in the [[Kangra district]] in [[Himachal Pradesh]] to an Army Veteran [[Subedar-major|Subedar Major]] Rulia Ram Walia and Smt. Rajeswari Devi.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sudhir Walia — a braveheart who went beyond the call of duty|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/weekly-pullouts/himachal-tribune/sudhir-walia-a-braveheart-who-went-beyond-the-call-of-duty/722712.html}}</ref> He attended the [[Sainik School]] at [[Sainik School, Sujanpur Tihra|Sujanpur Tihra]].
He then gained admission into the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]], [[Khadakwasla Dam|Khadakwasla]].

==Army career==
Sudhir graduated from the [[Indian Military Academy]] and was commissioned as [[second lieutenant]] into the 4th battalion, [[Jat Regiment|The Jat Regiment]] on 11 June 1988.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=723 |date=20 May 1989|url=https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1989/O-0593-1989-0020-25631.pdf |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> He was a member of the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] (IPKF) who were sent to [[Sri Lanka]] on a peace mission.<ref name=RD /> After he returned from Sri Lanka, he opted for the 9th battalion, [[Para (Special Forces)]] unit, a special force of the [[Indian Army]] that specializes in mountain operations. He also served two six-month terms at the [[Siachen Glacier]].<ref name=RD /> He was promoted lieutenant on 11 June 1990.<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=514 |date=27 March 1993|url=https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1993/O-0407-1993-0013-16503.pdf |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref>

Walia was promoted captain on 11 June 1993,<ref>{{cite news |title=Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch) |page=1946 |date=16 October 1993|url=https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1993/O-0410-1993-0042-16533.pdf |publisher=The Gazette of India}}</ref> and was awarded the [[Sena Medal]] in 1994 for gallantry on two occasions for combating militancy in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. In 1997, he was sent to the [[United States]] for a specialized course and got first position. He also spoke at the [[Pentagon (building)|Pentagon]] during this mission.<ref name=RD /> Fondly and out of respect for his competence, he was called 'Colonel' during that course!<ref>{{cite book |title=Kargil from surprise to victory |publisher=HarperCollins Publ. India |isbn=9788172239671 |page=186}}</ref>

He was later deputed as an [[Aide-de-camp]] (ADC) to the [[Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Chief of the Army Staff]] (COAS), General [[Ved Prakash Malik]]. When the [[Kargil War]] broke out, he obtained special permission from the COAS to go to the battlefield. Within ten days of his departure from Delhi, he led his team to capture Zulu Top at 5200 metres, in the [[Mushkoh Valley]] sector. When asked about his attack on Zulu Top without acclimatization, Maj Sudhir said: ''"Sir, you know that I'm a pahari (from the mountains). I don't need acclimatization."''<ref>{{cite book |title=Kargil from surprise to victory |publisher=HarperCollins Publ. India |isbn=9788172239671 |page=188}}</ref>

After the Kargil War ended, his team was assigned the duty of fighting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.<ref name=RD />

On 29 August 1999, he led an assault on a militant hideout in the Haphruda jungles of [[Kupwara]] district in Jammu and Kashmir. He killed 9 of a total of 20 militants and sustained gunshot wounds in the process. Though he was unable to move, he continued to give orders to his team till they succeeded. He allowed himself to be evacuated only 35 minutes after the operation ended. He was airlifted to the army base hospital but he succumbed to the injuries en route. For his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the [[Ashoka Chakra Award|Ashoka Chakra]], the highest peace time military decoration in India.<ref name=RD />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Ashoka Chakra award recipients}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walia, Sudhir Kumar}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)]]
[[Category:People from Kangra district]]
[[Category:Para Commandos]]
[[Category:Indian Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:National Defence Academy (India) alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sena Medal]]
[[Category:Ashoka Chakra]]
[[Category:Ahluwalia]]

Sudhir Kumar Walia - Revision history

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