Lieutenant Kanad Bhattacharya belonged to the capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata. His father was an income tax officer. He studied in St. James School and graduated from SA Jaipuria college of his hometown Kolkata. He was inclined towards martial arts and was a karate black belt holder. Lieutenant Kanad always nursed the idea of joining the armed forces. After completing his graduation, he applied for the CDS examination and got selected for training in OTA, Chennai for Army. After completing his training successfully, he got commissioned into the 8 Sikh of Sikh Regiment. His first posting was in J&K, and he got to engage in the Kargil war.
| Service Number | SS-37818 |
| Place of Birth | Kolkata |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | 8 Sikh |
| Regimet | Sikh Regiment |
| Award | Sena Medal |
| Date of Martyrdom | 21st May 1999 |
In May 1999, 8 Sikh was in J&K. There were posted near Tiger Hill. There were reports about Pakistani infiltration in the Kargil area. By the third week of May 1999, the reports were proving right, and it had been established that the infiltration had been done on a large scale in various sectors, including the Tiger hill area. On 21st May, Lieutenant Kanad Bhattacharya was tasked to establish a foothold on a northeastern ridge near Tiger Hill. The route was difficult and was fully covered with snow. While they were climbing up, they detected movement of intruders coming down with heavy weapons towards them. Then intruders started firing at the patrol with heavy automatic machine guns. Immediately, Lieutenant Kanad Bhattacharya and Sepoy Major Singh divided the patrol into two groups and started engaging with them. A very heavy exchange of fire was going between both parties. Many casualties occurred on both sides. Lieutenant Kanad was also injured by this time. And Lieutenant Kanad Bhattacharya later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. The patrol could not come back and be declared missing in action on 21st May 1999. The body of Lieutenant Kanad Bhattacharya was recovered only after the war ended. Army recovered his body on 15th Jul 1999, which was buried in snow.
Lieutenant Kanad was remembered as a very gallant soldier and a fine officer who laid down his life in the service of the nation at an age of just 22 years. For his bravery and service to the nation, Lieutenant Kanad was awarded the ‘Sena Medal’ (posthumously).
