Lance Havildar Vijay Kumar was born on 20th August 1981 and belonged to Sagwan village of Bhiwani district in Haryana. He joined the Army on 29 September 2001 at the age of 20 years and was recruited into 23 Para of the Parachute Regiment. During 2018, Lance Havildar Vijay Kumar’s unit was deployed in south Kashmir for counterinsurgency operations.
| Place of Birth | Bhiwani, Haryana |
| Rank | Lance Naik |
| Unit | 23 Para |
| Regiment | Parachute Regiment |
| Date of Martyrdom | 20th November 2018 |
On 20th November 2018, Lance Havildar Vijay’s unit launched a joint operation with SOG (Special Operations Group) of the J&K Police. The joint team as planned reached the suspected area in Nadigam village of Shopian district and launched the search and cordon operation at around 2 AM on 20th November 2018. At around 0415 hrs on 20th Nov, as the search of the target house was under progress, three terrorists jumped out of the window and tried to escape. Lance Havildar Vijay Kumar immediately swung into action and opened fire, neutralizing the first escaping terrorist. The remaining two terrorists then attacked the troops by firing indiscriminately. The joint team managed to gun down the second terrorist too. However, during the heavy exchange of fire, Lance Havildar Vijay Kumar suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was grievously injured. He later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred.
Lance Havildar Vijay Kumar is survived by his wife and three children.
