Jintu Gogoi
Captain Jintu Gogoi (21 November 1970 – 30 June 1999), VrC was an Indian Army officer of 17 Garhwal Rifles. He was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra, India's third highest wartime military decoration, for his courage and bravery in combat during operations in the Kargil War in 1999.[1]
Jintu Gogoi | |
|---|---|
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| Native name | জিন্টু গগৈ |
| Born | 21 November 1970 Golaghat, Assam, India |
| Died | 30 June 1999 (aged 28) Kargil, Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Allegiance | India |
| Service/ | Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1995–1999 |
| Rank | |
| Service number | SS-36261 |
| Unit | 17 Garhwal Rifles |
| Battles/wars | Kargil War Operation Vijay |
| Awards | |
| Alma mater | JOYA GOGOI COLLEGE |
Early life and military career
Captain Jintu Gogoi is the son of Flying Officer Thogiram Gogoi, an Indian Air Force Veteran. Jintu Gogoi's father Thogiram Gogoi stated that his son Jintu always wanted to join the Indian Army.[2]
After graduation from Joya Gogoi College, Jintu Gogoi joined Officers Training Academy, Chennai on May 9, 1994, and was commissioned into the 17th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on March 11, 1995.[3]
Death
As described in Gogoi's Vir Chakra award citation:
On the night of 29–30 June 99 during Operation Vijay, Captain Jintu Gogoi was tasked to evict the enemy from Ridge Line Kala Pathar near Line of Control in general area of Juber Hill complex in Batalik Sub-Sector.
With utter disregard to his personal safety, he led the troops in the face of heavy volume of fire and reached the top by night. However, he was immediently surrounded by the enemy. Captain Jintu Gogoi was asked to surrender by the enemy, as he had no chance to protect himself. Keeping utmost his loyalty to the unit, he chose the honourable way of fighting with valour and dignity. Captain Jintu Gogoi opened fire on the enemy killing two enemy soliders before making his supreme sacrifice for the Nation. Before this action, he made sure that his group had taken cover for safety.[4]
Garhhwal Rifle on Jintu Gogoi
The Wiki page of Garhwal Rifles (See Kargil War Section) cited a note with disappointment about supreme sacrifice of Capt Jintu Gogoi with and others of Garhwal Rifles for their Heroism in Kargil War, with the citation:
The 17th Battalion was in the Batalik sub-sector and was tasked with assaulting Area Bump and Kalapathar in the Jubar Heights, a ridgeline overlooking Jubar top, astride the National Highway. The climb was arduous and all companies were ‘daylighted’ except for Capt Jintu Gogoi's platoon. The gallant ‘Bhullas’ took Kalapathar in the face of heavy enemy fire, and then came face to face with an enemy UMG emplacement. To the enemy's total surprise, Capt Gogoi launched an immediate attack on the UMG sangar, killing two intruders in hand-to-hand combat, being mortally wounded in the process. Capt Jintu Gogoi was awarded the Vir Chakra posthumously for his bravery in utter disregard for his own safety, but sadly his name is not much known between the people like Captain Vikram Batra, who was also a Kargil martyr. The battalion launched fresh attacks in the subsequent days and took Bump and Kalapathar. This paved the way for further successes – the battalion proceeded to take another dominating feature in the Muntho Dhalo complex, finally taking Point 5285 despite heavy snowfall and effective enemy fire including artillery fire due to the proximity of this feature to the LOC. The battalion was awarded Battle Honour ‘Batalik’ for its exploits in Op Vijay. Gallantry Awards received by the battalion were one Vir Chakra and one Mentioned-in-Despatches. In addition, was also awarded GOC-in-C Northern Command Unit Appreciation to the unit for their splendid work
Honours
See also
References
- "Capt.Jintu Gogoi VrC". Archived from the original on 30 Jun 2021.
- Hasnat, Karishma (27 Jul 2020). "'Always Wanted to Join Army,' Says Father About Martyred Son as Assam Honours Kargil War Heroes Amid Covid-19". News 18. Archived from the original on 2020-12-20.
- "Late Capt Jintu Gogoi: an unsung braveheart who died protecting nation". ETV BHARAT. Mar 11, 2020.
- "Jintu Gogoi | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. (see the tab "Citation")
- "Joya Gogoi College". Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- "The 16th edition of Captain Jintu Gogoi, VrC Memorial Football Tournament org by IndianArmy". Twitter. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
