Digvijay Panwar

Biography

Lieutenant Digvijay Panwar was born on 16 June 1974 in Bhalswa Iespur village in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Drawn to the armed forces from childhood, he joined the Indian Army after completing his education and was commissioned into the 313 Field Regiment of the Regiment of Artillery, the combat support arm known for its field guns. An avid reader, he was remembered as a compassionate officer who often spoke of the Army's humanitarian work in remote areas. In 1998 his unit was deployed to the Nalbari district of Assam as part of Operation Rhino, an area affected by insurgency that demanded regular counter-insurgency patrols against ULFA militants. On 6 August 1998 a five-vehicle convoy of the 313 Field Regiment was returning to Nalbari after an operational mission, with Lieutenant Panwar leading in the lead Gypsy. Near Japarakuchi, about a kilometre from the district headquarters, the militants sprang a pre-planned ambush, detonating an improvised explosive device and following the blast with heavy fire. Lieutenant Panwar was severely injured and laid down his life for the nation at the age of twenty-four.