Anuj Nayyar
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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 ...
Anuj Nayyar, MVC (August 28, 1975 – July 7, 1999) was an
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 ...
officer of 17 Jat Regiment who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest
gallantry award Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations awarde ...
, for exemplary valour in combat during operations in the
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 ...
in 1999.


Early years and career

Anuj Nayyar was born and grew up in
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, India. His father, Satish Kumar Nayyar, worked as a visiting professor in
Delhi School of Economics Delhi School of Economics (DSE), popularly referred to as D School, is an institution of higher learning within the Delhi University. The Delhi School of Economics is situated in University of Delhi's North Campus in Maurice Nagar. Establishe ...
while his mother, Meena Nayyar, worked for the South Campus library of
Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...
. He was a bright student who consistently performed well in academics and sports. Nayyar received his high-school education from Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan (1993 batch). He graduated from the
National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces. Here, cadets of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force train together before they go on to their respective service a ...
and later was commissioned into the 17th battalion, Jat Regiment (17 Jat) in June 1997 from the
Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...
.


Kargil War


Background

In 1999, the Indian Army detected a massive infiltration by
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
i military and paramilitary forces in the
Kargil Kargil or Kargyil is a City in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TERTIARY, tert ...
region of Jammu Kashmir. The army quickly mobilized its forces to drive out the Pakistani infiltrators from Indian territory. 17 Jat was one of the battalions deployed in the region. Nayyar's first major operation involved securing Pimple II, a peak within the Pimple Complex, on the western slopes of Point 4875, a strategic peak in the Mushkoh Valley. Due to its strategic location, securing Point 4875 was a top priority for the Indian Army. The peak, which stood at 15,990 feet above sea level, had extremely steep slopes and capturing the peak without aerial support was considered near impossible. In a last-ditch attempt, C Coy, 17 Jat, of which Nayyar was the second-in-command, decided to secure the peak without waiting for any aerial support on 6 July.


Operation

During the initial phase of C Coy's assault on Pimple II, Nayyar's company commander was injured, and command devolved upon him. As the unit advanced under heavy enemy artillery and mortar fire, the lead section reported the location of 3-4 enemy bunkers. Nayyar moved forward and destroyed the first bunker with a rocket launcher and grenades. Still under heavy fire, he then proceeded with the lead section, which consisted of 7 personnel, and destroyed two more bunkers. During the battle, Nayyar killed 9 Pakistani soldiers and destroyed three medium machine gun bunkers.Captain Anuj Nayyar – Bharat-Rakshak
The company then began its assault on the last remaining bunker, but while clearing it, an enemy RPG directly hit Nayyar and killed him instantly. Pimple II was captured on 8 July, but Anuj Nayyar had to pay his supreme sacrifice on the mission. During the entire battle for Pimple Complex, 46 regular members of the Pakistan Army, an unknown number of Pakistani paramilitary troopers, militants were killed and 11 Indian Army troops, including Capt. Nayyar, were killed. The securing of Pimple Complex paved the way for the recapture of Tiger Hill which finally forced Pakistan to retreat back across the Line of Control.


Recognition and legacy

Nayyar was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his bravery and leadership in combat. Nayyar's father, S.K. Nayyar, was allotted a
gas station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...
in Delhi by the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
in recognition of the services of his son. Tejbir Singh, a fellow soldier of the Jat Regiment, named his son Anuj in honour of Nayyar. School in Janakpuri area of Delhi, was named as "Shaheed Captain Anuj Nayyar Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya"." A road in
Janakpuri Janak Puri is an affluent neighborhood in the South West district of Delhi, India. It is located near the Delhi Cantonment area and is accessible by road and Delhi Metro via multiple lines as well as train because of its nearest railway stat ...
area of Delhi, was named as "Captain Anuj Nayyar Marg." On the 76th Republic Day (Jan 26, 2025), India paid tribute to Kargil hero as Southern Railway dedicated a locomotive in his name "Captain Anuj Nayyar".


Maha Vir Chakra citation


In Media

Following Nayyar's death, his heroics during the war were widely covered by Delhi's
print media Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...
with editorials like
Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
and
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
running full-page descriptions of his Kargil mission. The plight and ill-treatment of his parents by Indian government officials after his death became the subject of several short
telefilms A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terres ...
and was widely reported in the Indian news media. Several books and Indian films were made to depict Anuj's life and glorify his contribution to the Indian Army. * In 2003 the Hindi film ''
LOC Kargil ''LOC Kargil'' is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language historical war film based on the Kargil War fought between India and Pakistan, produced and directed by J. P. Dutta under his banner "J. P. Films". The film features an ensemble cast of Bollywoo ...
'', directed by J.P. Dutta, which depicted the endeavours of the Indian Army during the Kargil War, was released in which
Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. The titular head of the Pataudi family since 2011, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore a ...
played the role of Anuj Nayyar. * In 2003, the Hindi film '' Dhoop'' directed by national award winner Ashwini Chaudhary, was released which depicted the life of Anuj's parents after his death.
Om Puri Om Prakash Puri, (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, English, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, and Marathi films, as well as ind ...
played the role of Prof. Kapoor that was based on Prof S.K. Nayyar, Anuj's father. Revathi played the role of Mrs. Kapoor, Capt Rohit Kapoor's mother.


References


External links


Bharat Rakshak biography on Anuj
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nayyar, Anuj 1999 deaths Indian military personnel killed in action People of the Kargil War Recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra 1975 births Military personnel from Delhi