New Delhi. On 15th September 1995 Capt Arun Singh Jasrotia of 9 PARA(SpecialForces) said a valiant goodbye to the world after displaying extreme courage and making the supreme sacrifice fighting the militants in Kashmir.
One morning he was told that foreign militants were hiding at a location in the Kashmir valley He along with his troops swung into action and set off to an arduous climb towards a suspected terrorists hideout. After about nearly ten hours the team reached the general area at a height approximately 3000 meters in the Lolab Valley of Jammu & Kashmir. As the team came closer to a cave, they were attacked by the militants from well-entrenched positions. Captain Arun, having realized the situation decided to face the terrorists himself and killed one with his commando knife. He killed one more terrorist with a hand grenade and lunged forward towards the cave.
While moving forward towards the cave Capt Arun got hit by a bullet in the shoulder and was grievously injured. But he refused to move back and in a rare show of courage, shot dead the terrorist who had fired at him. When he reached near the cave, he was hit by two more bullets in the gut and chest and collapsed. Inspired by his bravery and leadership, the troops attacked the militants with double vigour and aggression and eliminated all of them.
Capt Arun was martyred and he was awarded the nation’s highest peace time gallantry award “Ashok Chakra” for his outstanding courage, devotion to duty and supreme sacrifice. Punjab government also conferred Captain Arun Singh Jasrotia with the Nishan-e-Khalsa Award in 1999.
A third generation Army Officer Captain Arun Singh Jasrotia was born in Sujanpur in Pathankot district of Punjab, on 16 August 1968 to Lt Col Prabhat Singh Jasrotia and Satya Devi. Since a child Arun also had a dream to wear an Army uniform like his father and grandfather and followed his dream by joining NDA. He was commissioned into 8 Bihar Regiment on 17 December 1989. During his initial service, Capt Arun took part in “Op Rakshak” under 8 Mountain Division and 28 Inf Div sector and proved his mettle as a professional and committed soldier. He was awarded Sena Medal for his exceptional service and devotion to duty. Later Capt Arun was inducted into 9 Para (Special Forces) a unit known for daredevil operations in very demanding situations.
When Lt Col Prabhat Singh Jasrotia went to receive the honor on behalf of his valiant son on Republic Day in 1996, it was a proud father who honored his son’s martyrdom and a strong mother who stood steadfast. The then US Ambassador to India, Frank G Wisner on a letter to Capt Arun Jasrotia’s father wrote, “I admired you as you took the award in his memory. I met your son when I visited the Special Forces unit in Dehradun in June 1995 and I was most impressed by his professionalism.”
His citation reads: “After an arduous climb of 10 hours, the team reached the area at a height of 3,000 meters. The team drew heavy rocket and gunfire. Capt Jasrotia, in a daring move, rushed forward with a grenade in hand. However, he was hit on the shoulder but managed to kill the terrorist who had fired at him after a hand-to-hand fight. He was hit by yet another terrorist and again he managed to kill him with his commando knife. Capt Jasrotia kept on moving ahead and managed to kill the handful of terrorists but not before a bullet had pierced his chest.”
