Vijayant Thapar (officer)

Vijayant Thapar, (sometimes called Vijyant) was an officer in the Indian Army who was killed in Kargil War. For his bravery, he was awarded with Vir Chakra by the Government of India.
Early life and education
Thapar was born on 26 December 1976 at Naya Nangal, Punjab. His father VN Thapar is a retired colonel of the Indian Army. He is a fourth-generation army officer.
Thapar attended various institutions such as St Josephs Academy, Khalsa College Delhi and Army Public School. He completed his graduation from DAV College.
Military career
After completing graduation, Thapar joined Indian Military Academy and was commissioned on 12 December 1998 in Indian Army Service Corps. Later he was assigned to 2 Rajputana Rifles.
Kargil war
In 1999, Thapar's battalion under the command of Col. M.B. Ravindernath, was tasked to capture the feature Tololing to help 18 Grenadiers.
On 28 June 1999, his unit was ordered to capture Three Pimples, Knoll and Lone Hill area. At 8 PM the attack commenced when 120 guns opened fire and rockets lit up the sky. In this heavy exchange of fire, Thapar led the 2 Rajrif. His company secured a foothold on Knoll. By this time, his company commander Major P Acharya was killed in action.
Hearing this, Thapar surged ahead with Naik Tilak Singh and started engaging with the enemies from 15 meters away. Realizing the necessity to silence the enemy machine guns, he decided to go ahead with Tilak. During this time, he was hit by a burst of fire that struck him on his head. He instantly died there.
Awards and decorations
For his bravery in Kargil, he was posthumously awarded with Vir Chakra, the third highest gallantry award.

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