Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Ajay Singh Jasrotia, SM (31 March 1972 – 15 June 1999) was an Indian military officer with the 13

Jammu and Kashmir Rifles The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. Its origins lay in the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. After the accession of the state to the Indian Union in October 1947, ...

(13 JAK RIF) who laid down his life during

Kargil War The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...

to save the lives of his six comrades. He was deployed in

Sopore Sopore ( ; ) is a city in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is north-west of Srinagar, and north-east of Baramulla. Sopore is one of the largest subdivisions in Jammu and Kashmir, consisting of seven tehsils an ...

in the

Baramulla district Baramulla district (or Varmul, in Kashmiri) is one of the 20 districts in the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

when the Kargil War broke out. In spite of his weight-bearing restrictions after ankle surgery, he volunteered to join his unit 13 JAK RIF under the command of

Lt General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

then

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Yogesh Kumar Joshi Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VrC, SM, ADC (born 5 January 1962) is a retired General Officer of the Indian Army. He was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command, assuming office from Lt Gen Ranb ...

which was moved to the

Dras Dras (also spelt Drass, ISO transliteration: '), also known locally in Shina as Himababs, Hembabs, or Humas, is a town and hill station in Kargil district of the union territory of Ladakh in India. It is on the NH 1 between Zoji La pass and ...

sector as a reserve force. On 15 June 1999, the base camp came under heavy artillery shelling and six of his soldiers were injured. Amidst heavy artillery shelling which continued unabated, he evacuated the wounded to safety by carrying them on his back. While rescuing the last soldier he was fatally wounded by shrapnel. All of the six lived to tell the tale. He was posthumously awarded the

Sena Medal The Sena Medal () is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for ...

for his courage and sacrifice. Contrary to

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

times when officers commanded from behind, today

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

officers lead their troops from front and Jasrotia was among the few senior most officers to be martyred while evacuating the wounded soldiers during

. Knowing that he won't survive he refused to be evacuated before his wounded men, giving a new definition of valour, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice. His death played a role in motivating his juniors

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

then Lieutenant

Vikram Batra Captain Vikram Batra , PVC (9 September 1974 – 7 July 1999) was an Indian Army officer. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest Indian military decoration, for his actions during the Kargil War; on 7 July 1999, Batra w ...

PVC Polyvinyl chloride (alternatively: poly(vinyl chloride), colloquial: vinyl or polyvinyl; abbreviated: PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons o ...

and Colonel then Lieutenant Sanjeev Singh Jamwal VrC to capture Point 5140 without any casualty. Coincidentally Batra was killed in a similar way as Jasrotia during the capture of Point 4875 when he exposed himself to enemy fire while rescuing an injured soldier.

Early life

He was born into a family of military traditions, his grandfather Khajoor Singh Jasrotia was a lieutenant Colonel and his father Arjun Singh Jasrotia was the DIG of

Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was formed in the wake of the Indo-Pak War of 196 ...

. He was fondly known as “Rambo” during his schooling days in Jammu. He did his primary education from BSF School Paloura in Jammu, senior secondary from Kendriya Vidyalaya Jalandhar Cantt, B.Com. from SPMR Commerce College in Jammu, SSB from Allahabad and military training from OTA Chennai.

Legacy

* A road in Gandhi Nagar area of Jammu has been named as ''Kargil Shaheed Major Ajay Jasrotia Marg'' to honour his sacrifice. * ''Major Ajay Singh Jasrotia Park'' is a park in a Sainik Colony in Jammu with his bust in the center. * His graduation college dedicated college library to him. * ''Shaheed Ajay Jasrotia Gas Agency'' is a gas agency at Sainik School Road Nagrota, Jammu named after him. * His character was portrayed in the movie LOC: Kargil (2003) by actor

Amit Behl Amit Behl is an Indian theatre, television, and film actor. Behl began his career in 1994 with a role in India's first daily soap opera '' Shanti''. He later did almost 100 TV serials in Hindi, English, Marathi, Punjabi, and Urdu. He has degre ...

and by

Nikitin Dheer Nikitin Dheer is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi and Telugu films, and Hindi television. Dheer made his acting debut in 2008 with the film ''Jodhaa Akbar''. He is best known for portraying Astika in '' Naagarjuna – Ek Yoddha'' ...

Shershaah ''Shershaah'' () is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language biographical war drama film directed by Vishnuvardhan in his Hindi debut and written by Sandeep Shrivastava. Produced by Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment, the film stars Sidharth M ...

(2021).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jasrotia, Ajay Singh 1972 births 1999 deaths Dogra people People from Jammu Kendriya Vidyalaya alumni People of the Kargil War Indian Hindus Indian military personnel killed in action Recipients of the Sena Medal Indian Army officers