Nawang Kapadia
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Nawang H. Kapadia (15 December, 1975—11 November, 2000), was an Indian Army
officer who died fighting Kashmiri militants in the jungles of Rajwar in Kupwara district of Srinagar
on 11 November 2000.
s Geeta and Harish Kapadia
. From his early childhood, Nawang had imbibed the adventurous talents of his parents, both of whom were famous in their own right. Siblings Sonam and Nawang were named after Sherpa mountaineers; both are Gurkha names: Nawang means "leader of men." Nawang did his initial schooling at New Era School and subsequently at the St. Xavier’s Boys’ Academy. He studied for and received his Bachelor of Commerce from Jai Hind college in Mumbai.
-born Kapadia joined the Officers’ Training Academy at Chennai
in 1999. He received his commission at the Passing Out Parade on 2nd of September 2000; he received Lieutenant
stars on commissioning to the 4th Battalion,3 Gorkha Rifles. Kapadia proceeded to the Regimental Centre at Varanasi
from which he joined his Battalion on October 29, 2000. During this period the Battalion was involved in operations against foreign terrorists who had infiltrated and were in the process of establishing their bases in the Kupwara area of Jammu and Kashmir.
operations were immediately launched with Nawang leading his own platoon. At approximately 11 a.m., a large hideout was discovered by the Battalion and the platoon came under fire from a group of eight to ten terrorists in the vicinity. Havaldar Chitra Bahadur was mortally wounded and Kapadia rushed to rescue him under the covering fire of his comrades. A terrorist who was hiding in the nearby foliage fired at Kapadia, hitting him in the face and killing him.
The encounter resulted in the deaths of two terrorists of the Al Omar Tanzeem, a Pakistan-based organization, with reports of two others grievously wounded and likely to have died. Large quantities of arms
and ammunition
were recovered, with the fight itself lasting over 36 hours. The terrorists who killed Kapadia were later killed by the same unit. They turned out to be Pakistani Pathans.
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
officer who died fighting Kashmiri militants in the jungles of Rajwar in Kupwara district of Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
on 11 November 2000.
Personal Life
His parents are mountaineerMountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
s Geeta and Harish Kapadia
Harish Kapadia
Harish Kapadia is a distinguished Himalayan Mountaineer from India. He has been awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographic Society, UK and the Life Time Achievement Award for Adventure by the President of India and the King Albert Mountain Award presented by The King Albert I Memorial...
. From his early childhood, Nawang had imbibed the adventurous talents of his parents, both of whom were famous in their own right. Siblings Sonam and Nawang were named after Sherpa mountaineers; both are Gurkha names: Nawang means "leader of men." Nawang did his initial schooling at New Era School and subsequently at the St. Xavier’s Boys’ Academy. He studied for and received his Bachelor of Commerce from Jai Hind college in Mumbai.
Army career
The 24-year old MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
-born Kapadia joined the Officers’ Training Academy at Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
in 1999. He received his commission at the Passing Out Parade on 2nd of September 2000; he received Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
stars on commissioning to the 4th Battalion,3 Gorkha Rifles. Kapadia proceeded to the Regimental Centre at Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
from which he joined his Battalion on October 29, 2000. During this period the Battalion was involved in operations against foreign terrorists who had infiltrated and were in the process of establishing their bases in the Kupwara area of Jammu and Kashmir.
Counter Terrorism Operation
On the 10th of November his Battalion received information of a large number of terrorists hiding in the jungles of Rajwar near Kupwara. Search and destroySearch and destroy
Search and Destroy, Seek and Destroy, or even simply S&D, refers to a military strategy that became a notorious component of the Vietnam War. The idea was to insert ground forces into hostile territory, search out the enemy, destroy them, and withdraw immediately afterward...
operations were immediately launched with Nawang leading his own platoon. At approximately 11 a.m., a large hideout was discovered by the Battalion and the platoon came under fire from a group of eight to ten terrorists in the vicinity. Havaldar Chitra Bahadur was mortally wounded and Kapadia rushed to rescue him under the covering fire of his comrades. A terrorist who was hiding in the nearby foliage fired at Kapadia, hitting him in the face and killing him.
The encounter resulted in the deaths of two terrorists of the Al Omar Tanzeem, a Pakistan-based organization, with reports of two others grievously wounded and likely to have died. Large quantities of arms
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
and ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
were recovered, with the fight itself lasting over 36 hours. The terrorists who killed Kapadia were later killed by the same unit. They turned out to be Pakistani Pathans.