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Yogendra Singh Yadav
Subedar Major[2] and Honorary Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav PVC (born 10 May 1980) is a retired Indian military junior commissioned officer, who was awarded India's highest military award, the Param Vir Chakra, for his actions during the Kargil War. He is the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra to date, having received it at the age of 19.[3][4] Early lifeSubedar Major Yadav was born in a Yadav family on 10 May 1980[3] in Aurangabad Ahir, Bulandshahr District, Uttar Pradesh.[5] His father Karan Singh Yadav served in the Kumaon Regiment, participating in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistan wars.[3] Yadav joined the Indian Army at 16 years and five months of age.[6] CareerKargil War Yadav enlisted with the 18 Grenadiers, and part of the Ghatak Force commando platoon, tasked to capture three strategic bunkers on Tiger Hill in the early morning hours of 4 July 1999. The bunkers were situated at the top of a vertical, snow-covered, 1,000 ft (300 m) cliff face. Yadav volunteered to lead the assault, climbed the cliff face, and installed ropes that would allow further assaults on the feature. Halfway up, machine gun and rocket fire came from an enemy bunker, killing the platoon commander and two others. In spite of being hit by multiple bullets in his groin and shoulder, Yadav climbed the remaining 60 feet (18 m) and reached the top. Though severely injured, he crawled to the first bunker and lobbed a grenade, killing four Pakistani soldiers and neutralizing enemy fire. This gave the rest of the platoon the opportunity to climb up the cliff face[7] bunker along with two of his fellow soldiers and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, killing four Pakistani soldiers. The platoon subsequently succeeded in capturing Tiger Hill. Though Yadav was hit by 17 bullets he played a major role in its capture.[8] The Param Vir Chakra was announced for Yadav posthumously, but it was soon discovered that he was recuperating in a hospital, and it was his namesake who had been slain in the mission.[9] Later careerYadav was conferred the honorary rank of Captain by the President of India on Independence Day of 2021. Lieutenant General Rajeev Sirohi, Military Secretary and Colonel of the Grenadiers, presented the rank badges. He retired from army on 31 December 2021 in the Honorary Captain rank with a traditional send-off.[10] Subedar Major and Honorary Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav, PVC post-retirement joined the advisory board of udChalo, a consumer technology company serving armed forces personnel.[11] Param Vir Chakra CitationThe Param Vir Chakra citation on the official Indian Army website reads as follows:
Dates of rank
Portrayal in film and mediaIn the 2004 Hindi-language film Lakshya (based on the Battle of Tiger Hill), the actions of the fictional war hero Karan Shergill (played by Hrithik Roshan) is a screen adaptation depicting the heroic deeds of Yadav's platoon, among others. It provides a detailed description of their arduous journey to capture the strategically placed bunkers on Tiger Hill.[13] The assault led by another Ghatak Platoon unit from the same regiment on Tololing was adapted as one of the prominent battle scenes in the Hindi film LOC Kargil. Manoj Bajpai portrayed the role of Yadav in the film. Other honoursHe joined the show Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2020 on a special invitation from Amitabh Bachchan, along with fellow Param Vir Chakra recipient Subedar Sanjay Kumar. He donated the entire amount (₹2.5 million) won to the Army Welfare Fund. In the year 2015, he was awarded the state's highest award Yash Bharti by Uttar Pradesh Government for his service towards the country.[14] See alsoReferences
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