Among the hundreds of brave soldiers who gave their lives during the Kargil war, some displayed such heroism and bravery that their names have come to be written in the annals of our country’s history. Lt. Keshing Clifford Nongrum of the 12 J&K Light Infantry was one such soldier who selflessly sacrificed himself to the cause of eliminating infiltrators who had encroached into India. He has been the first and only person from Meghalaya to have been awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
Lt. Keshing Clifford Nongrum and Point 4812, Kargil
The lieutenant and his platoon were tasked with the recapture of point 4812 in the Kargil sector. As was the case with so many of the Indian operations in Kargil, this operation required the soldiers to approach heavily armed, deeply entrenched enemy installations via steep, near vertical rock inclines in subzero weather, at heights of over 15,000 feet in what is among the most hostile battle field in the world. The operation also demanded extreme physical strength and resilience and the kind of mental toughness from the soldiers that may be difficult for us to imagine.
The lieutenant’s company came under very heavy fire from the enemy ensconced in interconnected, impregnable rocky bunkers that were impervious to shelling and firing. When his men could not move forward because of the incessant shelling, lieutenant moved forwards in the face of fire. Approaching the bunker he lobbed grenades and even engaged in hand to hand combat to neutralize 6 of the enemy and reclaim the bunker. Instead of consenting to be evacuated, he continued to attack the next bunker before he was killed. He was just 24 at the time.
Keishing Clifford Nongrum – a hero from Shillong
Keishing Peter, father of the lieutenant is sad about his loss but is proud of the son who used to be a boxer; who fired and punched his way into the enemy bunkers to reclaim point 4812 for the nation. His mother Saily recalls how her son Clifford was always motivating others to join the Indian Army.
In May 2015, a bust of Lt Keishing Clifford Nongrum was unveiled in the Rhino Museum in Shillong and his notes about How to join Indian Army as officer were also put into the public domain… A small tribute to a big hero.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
This article is a part of a series on the brave hearts of the Kargil War – these are heroes India has either forgotten about or has never heard of. This series is our tribute to our country’s men and women in uniform ahead of Kargil Divas (26 July)
