Havildar Praveen Kumar was born to Shri Chikala Prathap Reddy and Smt Sugunamma. He belonged to Reddivaripalle village of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh. He joined the Army in the year 2002 at the age of 19 years. He got recruited into 18 Madras of the Madras Regiment. After serving with his parent unit for some time, he also got trained as a commando and worked with the elite NSG for three years. During Nov 2020, Hav Praveen’s unit 18 Madras was deployed in Kupwara district of J&K.
| Place of Birth | Andhra Pradesh |
| Rank | Havildar |
| Unit | 18 Madras |
| Regiment | Madras Regiment |
| Date of Martyrdom | 8th November 2020 |
On 8th November 2020, an infiltration was reported by the BSF patrol near the anti-infiltration obstacle system about 3.5 Kms from the LOC. The team from 18 Madras led by Captain Ashutosh Kumar included Havildar Praveen among many other soldiers. Havildar Praveen and his comrades swung into action to foil the infiltration bid and neutralize the militants. Captain Ashutosh Kumar deployed his troops tactically to block the possible escape routes and engaged them aggressively. In the ensuing fierce gun-battle three militants were eliminated. However, during the exchange of fire Havildar Praveen and four of his comrades received gun shots and were seriously injured. Later Havildar Praveen and two more soldiers including the team leader Captain Ashutosh Kumar and Rifleman Ryada Maheshwar succumbed to their injuries and were martyred.
Havildar Praveen Kumar is survived by his father Shri Chikala Prathap Reddy, mother Smt Sugunamma, wife Smt Rajitha, daughter and a son.
