Captain Manoj Pandey Age, Death Cause, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Manoj Kumar Pandey
Nickname	Hero of Batalik
Profession	Army Personnel
Famous As	Param Vir Chakra Recipient
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 183 cm in meters- 1.83 m in feet inches- 6’
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 65 kg in pounds- 145 lbs
Body Measurements (approx.)	- Chest: 38 inches - Waist: 32 inches - Biceps: 13 inches
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Army
Service/Branch	Indian Army
Rank	Captain
Unit	1/11 Gorkha Rifles
Wars/Battles	Kargil War Operation Vijay
Award	Param Vir Chakra (Posthumously)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	25 June 1975
Birthplace	Rudha village, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Date of Death	3 July 1999
Place of Death	Bunker Ridge, Khalubar, Batalik sector, Kargil, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Age (at the time of death)	24 Years
Death Cause	Martyrdom (during the 1999 Kargil War)
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Cancer
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Rudha village, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India
School(s)	Uttar Pradesh Sainik School, Lucknow Rani Laxmi Bai Memorial Senior Secondary School
College/University	National Defence Academy (90th course)
Educational Qualification	Not Known
Religion	Hinduism
Hobbies	Reading, Writing, Playing the Flute
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Parents	Father- Shri Gopi Chand Pandey (A Small Businessman) Mother- Mohini Pandey
Siblings	Brother- Manmohan Pandey Sister- None

Some Lesser Known Facts About Manoj Pandey

• He was an avid sportsperson, particularly in boxing and bodybuilding.

• In 1990, he was the best cadet of junior division NCC of Uttar Pradesh.

• After completing his school, he went on to clear the NDA exam.

• During his SSB (Services Selection Board) interview, he was asked, why he wanted to join the Army? To which he replied, “I want to win the Param Vir Chakra.” And so he did posthumously for his extreme courage and leadership.

• On 6 June 1995, he was commisioned into 1/11 Gorkha Rifles. 

• His first posting was in the Kashmir Valley. He was then posted in Siachen. He told his parents that “We fight the climate of Siachen more than we fight our enemies.” 

• He was called the “Hero of Batalik” for his courageous actions in the Kargil War.

• On 11 June 1999, he pursued the invaders to run back at Batalik Sector in the Kargil War.

• Captain Manoj Pandey fearlessly recaptured Jubar top, which was indeed one of the remarkable wins for his platoon during the Kargil war. 

• On the night of 3 July 1999, his company was heading towards the Khalubar at the height of 16,700 ft above sea level; their final objective. They were encountered by an intense fire by the enemy. He swiftly moved his platoon on an advantageous position and sent half of his platoon from the right while he himself charged from the left to attack the enemy.

• The Khalubar was a very important point to capture because of its strategic location. Manoj Pandey took the charge of it and led his troop to capture the top through a narrow ridge that led to the enemy position.

• The enemy opened a heavy fire upon Indian soldiers to hamper their mission, but Manoj Pandey displayed his leadership qualities by leading his battalion from the front to directly face the enemies.

• Despite the bullet injuries on his shoulder and leg, he was able to clear the first bunker, killing two enemy in a hand to hand combat with the them.

• This act of bravery filled the troop with immense power and strong will, they invincibly charged upon the enemies. Manoj Pandey kept uttering his battle cry, which eventually helped his whole troop to stay motivated and it goes like “Jai Mahakali, Aayo Gorkhali.”

• Manoj Pandey continued fighting along with his troop, clearing the second and third bunkers, killing two invaders again and it was then that he cleared the fourth bunker with a grenade which gave him a fatal burst and a shot at his forehead by the enemy. He finally collapsed and succumbed to injuries. During this while, Jubar top was captured by his troop from the enemies.

• Since he was in Gorkha Rifles, he knew Gorkhali language, and his last words to his troop were “Na chhodnu” (don’t spare them, in Nepali). 

• When the news of his martyrdom reached his village, a huge mass of people gathered to pay their last homage to this Kargil Hero. 

• He had played a vital role in Operation Vijay; taking charge of many attacks that led the enemies to run back.

 

• Quotes in his personal diary read; “Some goals are so worthy, it’s glorious even to fail”, “If death strikes before I prove my blood, I promise (swear), I will kill death.” He had a habit of writing, even in the adverse situation like war he was able to maintain his diary and writing letters to his loved ones. His letter to his friend during the war tells his braveheart and how a truly patriotic man he was.