Viplav Tripathi

Biography

Colonel Viplav Tripathi was born on 20 May 1980 in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh. Drawn to a life in uniform, he joined the Indian Army and was commissioned in 2003 into The Kumaon Regiment, a regiment renowned for its valour and battle honours. Over eighteen years of service he established himself as an outstanding and inspiring officer, and rose to command the 46th Battalion of the Assam Rifles operating in the insurgency-affected areas of the North East. On 13 November 2021, Colonel Tripathi was returning from an area domination patrol in the Churachandpur district of Manipur when his convoy was ambushed near Sehkan village by militants of the People's Liberation Army and the Manipur Naga People's Front. The attackers triggered an improvised explosive device and opened heavy gunfire on the convoy. Colonel Tripathi was killed in the ambush along with several Assam Rifles personnel. His wife Anuja and their young son Abeer, who were travelling with him, also lost their lives in the attack. Colonel Viplav Tripathi laid down his life in the highest traditions of the Indian Army while leading his men in one of the nation's most challenging operational theatres.