Naik Abid Ali SM

Naik Abid Ali hailed from Jabasar village of Alsisar tehsil in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan and was born on 2nd Aug 1977. Son of an army veteran Capt Yasin Khan, he wanted to serve in the Armed Forces like his father since his childhood and continued to follow his dream, while growing up. Eventually, he joined the army on 29 April 1994 at the age of 17 years. He was recruited into 5 Grenadiers of the Grenadiers Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its brave soldiers with a rich history of various battle honours. Incidentally, it was the same battalion, where his father had served for around 24 years and later his younger brother Talib too joined the same battalion.

During the Kargil war in 1999, his unit was deployed in the battle zone and he became part of various operations as part of "Operation Vijay". By 2002, he had been promoted to the rank of Naik and had put in over 08 years of service. By then, he had developed into a committed soldier with good field craft skills.

Nagaland Operation: 19 Dec 2002

During 2002, Nk Abid Ali's unit was deployed in Phek district of Nagaland and was engaged in counter insurgency operations. As a number of militants were active in the AOR (Area of Responsibility) of the unit, Nk Abid Ali and his comrades had to be in a state of preparedness at all times to launch operations at a short notice. On receiving intelligence reports about the presence of militants in Zhamai sector in Phek district, the security forces decided to launch an operation on 19 Dec 2002. The militants were suspected to be from ULFA(I) and the SS Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K), who were very active in that area. Nk Abid Ali was made part of the team that was assigned the task of the undertaking that operation. 

As Nk Abid Ali and other troops reached the suspected area on 19 Dec 2002, they noticed unusual activity on the hill feature in the area.  The troops reorganized themselves and stated to climb the hill feature with Nk Abid Ali leading in the front. But the militants noticed the movement of troops and launched an attack with automatic weapons. Nk Abid Ali immediately repositioned himself and launched a counter attack along with his comrades. A determined counter attack by the troops made the militants loose their nerve, who then resorted to indiscriminate firing. In the ensuing gun battle, Nk Abid Ali received a gun shot under his eye and got seriously injured. He was immediately rushed to the nearby hospital for treatment, but he soon succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Nk Abid Ali displayed remarkable courage and gallantry in the face of the enemy and laid down his life at the age of 25 years in the service of the nation, following the highest traditions of the Indian Army. Naik Abid Ali was given the gallantry award, “Sena Medal” on 15 Aug 2003 for his admirable courage, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice.