Vir Chakra (VrC)

On 15 July 1999, Lieutenant Praveen Kumar along with Ghatak Platoon of 14 Sikh Regiment was ordered to capture Point 5310 in Chorbatla sector during "OperationVijay”. Point 5310 was located three kilometer deep inside the enemy territory. It was appreciated that if this dominating feature, located in between Chorbatla and Turtuk Sectors, was captured and secured, it will cut off the maintenance route to enemy positions opposite Turtuk Sector and also improve the defensive posture and if held may strengthen the LC between Chorbatla and Turtuk Sectors.

Lieutenant Praveen Kumar organized his Ghatak Platoon in three groups and carried out several rehearsals on mock features for capturing Point 5310 by surprise attack. He being recently qualified on mountain warfare course with instructor grading trained the Ghatak Platoon in cliff assault, mountain climbing, ice-craft and techniques of glaciated operations. On 20 July 1999, he along with two men crossed the LC and carried out detailed reconnaissance of the feature and selected three different approaches for the surprise attack.

On 22 July 1999, after final rehearsals, the Ghataks crossed the LC at 2100 hrs and began their approach to Point 5310. The first group led by Lieutenant Praveen Kumar negotiated the ice-wall almost 300 metre high, crossed a glaciated bowl and a Number of crevasses to reach the base of Point 5310. On reaching the base of the objective, he secured the Ghatak base. Thereafter, as planned, the three groups commenced the silent attack from three designated directions. The group led by Lieutenant Praveen Kumar carried out the cliff assault after fixing 250 metre of rope and reached the top and totally surprised the enemy. Thereafter, the second group led by Naik Raghbir Singh also reached the top. The third group, led by Naib Subedar Satnam Singh, unable to scale the feature from designated direction of approach, was diverted to the firm base that was converted into the administrative base.

Thereafter, Lieutenant Praveen Kumar organized his defences, sited automatic weapons and organized Point 5310 into a formidable defensive position. Subsequently, he successfully destroyed four sangars of the enemy, and a small fuel and ammunition dump and killed fifteen of the enemy men by small arms and by directing artillery and mortar fire along his route of maintenance opposite Turtuk Sector.

Lieutenant Praveen Kumar displayed professional competence, unparalleled and unorthodox tact leading to the capture of the objective without any casualty and thereby improving our defensive posture in Chorbatla sector and effectively disrupting and cutting off the enemy's line of maintenance.