Sep Bhanwar Lal Bagaria

Sep Bhanwar Lal Bagaria hailed Sigdola Chhota village in the Sikar district of Rajasthan. After completing his school education, he joined the Army and was recruited into 4 Jat Bn of the Jat Regiment, an infantry regiment well known for its gallant soldiers and various battle honours. After serving for a few years, Sep Banwari Lal got married to Ms. Santosh Devi.

Kargil War (Op Vijay): May-June 1999

During 1999, Sep Bhanwar Lal Bagaria’s unit 4 Jat battalion was deployed in the Kargil sector of J&K. In the early part of May 1999, unusual movements were noticed in the Batalik-Yaldor sector and consequently, Indian Army units commenced aggressive patrolling of the area in their AOR (Area of Responsibility). Similarly in the first two weeks of May 1999, several patrols were conducted in the Kaksar Langpa area of the Kargil district, to check for the presence of intruders and also see if the snow had retreated enough for the summer positions to be re-occupied. On 15 May 1999,  Sep Bhanwar Lal Bagaria and four other soldiers, Sep Arjun Ram Baswana, Sep Naresh Singh, Sep Bhikha Ram, and Sep Mula Ram, were tasked to undertake a patrol to Bajrang Post in the Kaksar sector under the leadership of Capt Saurabh Kalia. 

After a continuous crossfire with Pakistan forces from across the LOC, Sep Bhanwar Lal Bagaria and his comrades ran out of ammunition. They reported this matter to the base camp and called for reinforcements. However before the troops could arrive, they were surrounded by a platoon of Pakistani rangers and captured alive. As the patrol did not return, another patrol was sent by the unit subsequently under the leadership of Capt Amit Bhardwaj. This event led to the discovery of hundreds of guerrillas, who had established fortified positions on the peaks of the hills deep inside the Indian side of the Line of Control, with sophisticated equipment and supply lines back to Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

Sep Bhanwar Lal Bagaria and his comrades including Capt Saurabh Kalia were held in captivity from 15 May 1999 – 7 June 1999 for about twenty-two days and subjected to torture as was evident from injuries to their bodies when they were handed over by the Pakistani Army on 09 June 1999. Post-mortem examinations revealed that the Pakistanis had tortured their prisoners very badly in gross violation of international conventions. The post-mortem also confirmed that the injuries were inflicted antemortem (before death). Sep Bhanwar Lal Bagaria was a brave and determined soldier, who laid down his life in the line of duty.

Sep Bhanwar Lal Bagaria is survived by his wife Smt Santosh Devi.