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 ...

Jerry Prem Raj, VrC, was a commissioned officer in the

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 ...

during 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 ...

. He was a Forward Observation Officer at Point 4875. During battle, he sustained grievous injuries but showing undaunted courage, continued to direct artillery fire against enemy positions. He succumbed to his injuries later the same day. Because of his effort in the battle, he was declared a war hero. His body was cremated in his native city,

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

. He was awarded the Vir Chakra, the third highest wartime gallantry award, posthumously.

Personal life and career

Captain Jerry Prem Raj was born in Venganoor, near Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram district of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

state in India. His father Retna Raj worked in the Department of Technical Education, Kerala and his mother Chella Thayee worked in the Health Department of the

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

. His brother is Rejinald Pavithran, a retired officer of the Indian Air force. Captain Jerry Premraj married Praseena in April 1999. Captain Jerry Prem Raj was commissioned into the 158 Medium Regiment (SP) on 5 September 1997 from Officers Training Academy, Chennai. He was a sincere and upright officer with an eye for detail and a pleasant disposition.

Kargil War

He answered the call of duty and rejoined the unit under Operation Vijay after voluntarily cutting short his honeymoon. On the night of 6 July 1999, he was the Forward Observation Post Officer with 2 Naga during its assault on Twin Bumps in area Point 4875 (Gun Hill) in Dras Sector. During the assault, while directing artillery fire onto the enemy positions with devastating effect, he was wounded by enemy sniper fire. Undeterred, he continued his mission amidst heavy enemy fire, when he was yet again hit by a volley of enemy machine gun fire. Gravely injured, he refused to be evacuated and continued to direct accurate artillery fire onto the enemy till he succumbed to his injuries. His action resulted in inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy and in the capture of the objective by assaulting infantry. His remains were carried by Maj Amarpal Singh of 158 Medium regiment from Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram. A flower-decked military vehicle carried his body from airport to his home which was lined up on both sides by the people of the city who showered flower petals on the vehicle as a final farewell. The display of courage and resolve in the face of insurmountable odds earned Captain Jerry a Vir Chakra award posthumously.

Vir Chakra Citation

The

Vir Chakra The Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa, ) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of gallantry on the battlefield, on land or in the air or at sea. It is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and ...

citation on the Official

Website reads as follows:

References

External links

Indian Army Page of War Hero declaration

Captain Jerry Premraj – Ormakalile Iripidangal (a short film by Kerala Vision)

A video tribute to Captain Jerry Premraj – by VPS HSS For Boys
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raj, Jerry Prem Year of birth missing 1999 deaths Indian Army officers People of the Kargil War Recipients of the Vir Chakra People from Thiruvananthapuram district Military personnel from Kerala