Captain Saurabh Kalia was born on 29 June 1976 at Amritsar, Punjab to Dr. N K Kalia and Smt Vijaya. Captain Saurabh was selected for the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in August 1997 through Combined Defense Services (CDS) and was commissioned on 12th December 1998. He was commissioned into 4 Jat of the Jat Regiment. During 1999, Captain Saurabh’s unit was deployed in the Kaksar area of Kargil. In early May 1999, unusual movements were noticed in the Batalik-Yaldor sector and consequently, Indian Army units had commenced aggressive patrolling of the area in their AOR (Area of Responsibility).
| Service Number | IC-58522 |
| Place of Birth | Amritsar, Punjab |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 4 Jat |
| Regiment | Jat Regiment |
| Date of Martyrdom | 9th June 1999 |
On 15th May 1999 Captain Saurabh Kalia was tasked to lead a patrol to the Bajrang post. Captain Saurabh Kalia and five other soldiers – Sepoys Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram, and Naresh Singh set off for the Bajrang post as planned. After a continuous crossfire with Pakistan armed forces from across the LOC, Captain Saurabh Kalia and his troops 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. Captain Saurabh Kalia and his men were in captivity from 15th May 1999 – 7th June 1999 for about twenty-two days and subjected to torture as evident from injuries to their bodies when they were handed over by the Pakistani Army on 9th June 1999. The postmortem examination revealed that the Pakistani forces had tortured their prisoners in gross violation of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war.
Captain Saurabh Kalia was a brave and committed soldier who laid down his life in the service of the nation. Captain Saurabh Kalia is survived by his father Dr. Narinder K Kalia, mother Smt Vijaya Kalia, and brother.
