Colonel KL Gupta

Col KL Gupta hailed from Bamyal village in Pathankot tehsil of Gurdaspur district in Punjab and was born on 09 May 1949. Son of Shri Shivraj Gupta and Smt Koushalya Devi, Col KL Gupta completed his graduation in science from Chandigarh and went on to complete his law degree from Law College Chandigarh. As he was inclined to serve in the Army since his younger days, he continued to nurse that idea while studying in college. Eventually, he got selected to join the Army after passing the Combined Defence Services Examination. He joined the OTA Chennai and passed out in the year 1972 after one year of rigorous training. 

He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant at the age of 23 years, into the 2 Assam battalion of the Assam Regiment, an infantry Regiment well known for its dauntless soldiers and numerous battle exploits. Raised on 15 June 1941 in Shillong, the Assam Regiment was awarded a Battle Honours for its tenacious defence at Chamb in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. After completing his training, he served in various operational areas in diverse terrain and working environment.  By the year 1995, he had put in about 23 years of service and had been promoted to the rank of Colonel. 

Akhnoor Sector Operation (J&K): 23 Sep 1995

During 1995, Col KL Gupta was functioning as 'Commanding Officer' of  2 Assam battalion deployed in the Akhnoor sector of J & K.  As the AOR (Area of Responsibility) of the battalion was near the LOC, the troops were involved in counter-insurgency as well as counter-infiltration operations on a regular basis. The troops had to be on high alert at all times as they were vulnerable to surprise attacks by the militants active in their area of responsibility. The landmines along the patrol routes also posed a serious danger to the troops and many times the Bomb Disposal Squad of the unit had to be called in for sanitizing the routes. On 23 Sep 1995, Col KL Gupta was leading an operational mission and was moving to a forward post in a terrorist-infested area in the Akhnoor sector. 

As Col KL Gupta and his comrades were traversing through the challenging terrain as per the planned route, there was a massive mine blast. The troops were unaware about the mines laid by the militants and walked into the trap. The blast had a devastating effect, injuring Col KL Gupta and a few other soldiers. Col KL Gupta faced the brunt of the blast and absorbed most of the splinters, thereby screening his comrades behind him. However, Col KL Gupta later succumbed to their injuries and was martyred. Col KL Gupta was a committed soldier and a fine officer, who led from the front and laid down his life in the service of the nation.