Major Yogendra Yadav, a non-commissioned officer in the Indian Army, was shot 12 times during the 1999 Kargil War and played a vital role in the capture of Tiger Hill. For his crucial role in the Kargil War, he was awarded India’s highest gallantry medal, the Param Vir Chakra. The brave Indian soldier was only 19 years old when he received the medal, making him the youngest recipient of the Param Veer Chakra.
Wiki/Biography
Yogendra Singh Yadav was born on Saturday, May 10, 1980 (now 43 years old, born in 2023) in the village of Aurangabad Ahir in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh. He completed his studies up to grade 10 from a government school in the village. In grade 12, he passed the examination required for military service on the first try and joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in June 1996. On December 6, 1997, he completed a 19-month training and graduated from IMA.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 8″
Eye color: Black
Hair color: Black
Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav speaks at the Kargil Victory Day rally at India Gate on July 26, 2018
Family and caste
Parents and siblings
Yogendra Singh Yadav’s father, Karan Singh Yadav, is a retired Indian Army soldier from the Kumaon Regiment who fought in the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. His mother’s name is Santara Devi. Yogendra has three brothers: Devendra Singh Yadav, Rambal Singh Yadav, and Jitendra Singh Yadav. His elder brother, Jitendra Singh Yadav, is an engineer in the Indian Army and joined the armed forces a few years before Yogendra joined the Indian Army.
Wife and children
Yogendra married Raina Yadav on May 5, 1999, 15 days before the Kargil War. He attributes all his good fortune to his wife. They have two children, Prashant Yadav and Vishant Yadav.
Major Yogendra Singh Yadav from Subeda with his wife and young son
Profession
Yogendra Singh Yadav joined the Indian Army in 1997. After training, he was assigned to the 18th Battalion of the Grenadiers Regiment. Over the years, he has been promoted several times based on his service experience. Currently, Major Yogendra Singh Yadav is a non-commissioned officer posted at the Indian Army Training Academy in Bareilly. He is responsible for training young soldiers on the prospects of being a soldier and leadership in combat.
Role in the Battle of Tolore
During the mission to recapture Tololing Hill, Yogendra Singh Yadav (then a Sainik) and 14 other soldiers were assigned to provide food and ammunition to the soldiers fighting on the top of the hill. Every day, the unit would start climbing the hill at 5 am and reach the destination at 2 pm. The three soldiers, including Yogendra Singh Yadav, went up and down the hill for 22 days until the Indian Army successfully won the Battle of Tololing on June 12, 1999.
Operation Victory: Capture of Tiger Hill
After winning the Battle of Tololing, the next important task facing the Indian Army was to recapture Tiger Mountain, the highest peak in the Kargil Range, which was illegally occupied by the Pakistani Army. At the age of 19, Yogendra Singh Yadav, who had served in the army for only two and a half years, was assigned to the Ghatak Platoon (composed of 25 soldiers) to recapture Tiger Mountain. The mission began on the night of July 3, 1999. The platoon was divided into three groups. The first one was a squad of seven soldiers led by Yogendra Singh Yadav. Yogendra fixed ropes for his comrades to climb the rocky and snowy steep mountain at an altitude of 16,500 feet. It took them two days to reach the top. When they were about to reach the top after climbing for two consecutive days, Pakistani soldiers spotted them and fired heavy grenades, rockets and artillery fire at them. After five hours of fierce fighting, all six soldiers in Yogendra’s squad were killed. Yadav lay injured beside the bodies of the squad members. After the shooting stopped, the enemy soldiers approached to check if everyone was dead. They shot at the motionless bodies to confirm the killing. Yogendra, who was lying there pretending to be dead, was also shot several times. But even after being shot, he could not utter a single word of pain.
Sharing details of this particular incident on a talk show, Yadav said,
I was shot 12 times in the arms and legs. One of the enemy soldiers also shot me in the chest but the bullet bounced off a five rupee coin in my pocket.”
Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav shows the bullet wound on his arm from the Tiger Hill battle
After confirming the kill of the enemy, the Pakistani soldiers withdrew to their positions. At this point, Yadav gathered his courage. Despite being shot at 12 times by the enemy, he picked up his Ak-47 rifle and managed to fire at the enemy positions. While firing, he kept rolling from one position to another, hoping to mislead the enemy into thinking that another company was attacking them. He eliminated four enemy soldiers one by one. Overwhelmed by the fire from different directions, the remaining Pakistani soldiers panicked and fled the area. After the enemy left, Yadav was left alone on the hill. He rolled down the hill and tried to get back to his unit. Fortunately, halfway up the hill, he was evacuated by soldiers of the Indian Army. After reaching the base tent, he narrated the entire story of the Tiger Hill Battle to the commander. Yadav briefed the commander on the enemy positions so that the other soldiers who were climbing up the hilltop could gain the upper hand. After obtaining the key information, the reinforcements climbed up the hillside and killed all the Pakistani soldiers in close combat without causing any casualties. The mission was declared a success on July 26, 1999. India celebrates Kargil Victory Day every year on this day.
14 Months of Recovery
Four days after being evacuated by the Indian Army, Yogendra was airlifted to the Delhi Army Hospital, where he remained for 14 months, recovering from the gunshot wounds and multiple fractures sustained during the Tiger Hill battle.
Yogendra Singh Yadav, 19, is being treated at the Delhi Army Hospital
Paramvir Chakra
On 14 August 1999, the news of the posthumous award of Param Vir Chakra to Yogendra Singh Yadav was televised. As Yogendra was still alive and recuperating in the hospital, he thought it was his namesake (a member of Yogendra’s detachment who was martyred in the Tiger hill battle) who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his bravery and selfless sacrifice in the war. The next day, on 15 August 1999, the then Army Chief VP Malik came to the hospital to greet him. Yogendra thought he was being congratulated on behalf of his martyred friend. But the Army General explained that they had made a mistake in their haste and had not properly checked the details before announcing the award. Hence, the PVC was actually awarded to him.
Yogendra Singh Yadav is welcomed by Army Chief Vice President Malik as he receives Param Vir Chakra at the Army Hospital in New Delhi on August 15, 1999
The Indian Army’s official website also talks about Yogendra Singh Yadav’s role in the Battle of Tiger Hill. It writes,
Ignoring the danger, he volunteered to lead and secure the rope so that his squad could climb up. As soon as the enemy saw the squad, they opened heavy fire with automatic grenades, rockets and artillery fire, killing the commander and his two colleagues and the squad came to a standstill. Grenadier Yoginder Singh Yadav, realizing the gravity of the situation, crawled to the enemy position and tried to suppress the enemy, being shot multiple times in the process. Ignoring his own injuries, Grenadier Yoginder Singh Yadav continued to crawl to the enemy position amidst the hail of enemy bullets, throwing grenades, continuing to fire with his weapons, killing four enemy troops in close combat and suppressing the automatic fire.
Yogendra Singh Yadav receives the Param Vir Chakra from the then President of India KR Narayanan
Facts/Trivia
- Only 21 soldiers have received the Param Vir Chakra so far. Moreover, only three of the recipients of this honor are still alive: Bana Singh (awarded in 1988), Sanjay Kumar and Yogendra Singh Yadav.
Subedar Sanjay Kumar (right) with Bana Singh (centre) and Yogendra Singh Yadav (left)
- Yogendra’s mother did not want him to join the army at such a young age. She wanted Yogendra to study more. In an interview, Yogendra talked about this,
My mother never wanted me to join the army. In fact, even I wanted to further my education. But the situation in the country was such that even educated people had to pay a lot to find a job. I was born in a lower middle class family and joining the army was the only way out.”
- Yogendra Singh Yadav’s family lived in Lajpat Nagar in Ghaziabad.
- Major Subedar Yogendra Singh appeared on the Karam Veer Special of the Indian game show Kaun Banega Crorepati on January 22, 2021. Appearing with him was another Kargil war hero and Param Vir Chakra recipient Subedar Sanjay Kumar.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education