Baikuntha Barman laid down his life for the nation, fighting against infiltrators in J&K

ALL FOR VALOUR

Naib Subedar Baikuntha Barman originally hailed from Nalbari district of Assam. He joined the Indian Army just after completing his matriculation exam. He joined the defense services in November of 1980. He had worked for 16 years and reached the rank of a Junior Commissioned Officer at the time of passing in 1997. He had also received a long service medal commemorating his nine years in active service.

He was martyred on duty on March 2, 1997. He was posted under the Operation Rakshak of the Indian Army in the Baramulla sector of Kashmir at the time of the incident. His rank was Naib Subedar with the Artillery division of the Indian Army. He has been survived by his wife, a seven years old son and a two years old daughter at the time of death.

Son Dipcon Barman was nine years old at the time of his father's death. He recollects the day when he got the news of tragedy. "I was in class two at that time. A teacher called me out of the class and took me to a few gentlemen in Army uniform. They asked my name and accompanied me to our home. There was a gathering outside our accommodation. I went inside and found my mother crying. It was then that she told me that my father is no more. "

After his passing, the state government of Assam provided the family a small one time grant. The family pension provided by the armed forces is still continuing. "With an amount of around Rs 4000 per month, my mother used to pay the house rent and manage the schooling for both of us, "said son Dipcon Barman.

The armed forces helped the family to set up an LPG distributorship in Sarthebari region of Barpeta district of Assam. And it now helps the martyr's family to sustain their lives. The family named the agency Baikuntha Gas Agency in memory of the fallen soldier.

The son, Dipcon Barman wanted to join the armed forces at a young age. But his mother Deepali Deka wanted him to join later as an officer after graduation. He did apply, but later got rejected in the medical examination due to a minor issue.

Reminiscing about the past, his wife Deepali Deka became emotional as she mentioned how careful and formal he was about his duties in the force. She also talked about his loving and caring nature towards the family. "We had plans to bring up the kids together," she stated, in a broken voice. Late Barman was into sports like football and playing on the field with his friends was his favorite hobby.

"He left for Kashmir at around 4 AM in the morning. Just before leaving, he picked me up in his arms and gave me a two rupees coin to buy something to eat. I wanted a jacket, and that is what I asked for before he left us behind in Punjab and joined his duties in Baramulla. He promised to get it for me when he came home on his next chutti, "his son Dipcon clearly remembers to this day. The family was staying back in Faridkot while the brave soldier went for his last posting in Jammu and Kashmir.

There was no phone communication available in those places. So the only means of communications used to be one way and only through letters. He left for the posting in Kashmir from Punjab in August of 1996.

After his death on duty on March 2, 1997, his body was brought back via helicopter to Faridkot in the state of Punjab where his family was staying. And the last rites were carried out in Faridkot itself.

Operation Rakshak is an ongoing counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operation started during the height of insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir in June 1990. The operation adapted itself from being merely a "show of strength" in 1990 to encompassing more areas in 1991 such as orders "not to enter the houses of civilians", "not to smoke in religious places" and "not to damage standing crops". 753 Indian army personnel died during Operation Rakshak between 2007 and 2015.

Major Mohit Sharma, who was killed while performing duties under Operation Rakshak, was posthumously awarded India's highest peacetime gallantry award 'Ashok Chakra' on 15 August 2009. Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala was also killed during Operation Rakshak 18 November 2017, and was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra on 25 January 2018. The Operation Rakshak Memorial is located in Badami Bagh Cantonment, Srinaga

Encounters generally increase in the summer season when the snow melts on the high Himalayan peaks dividing Indian and Pakistani administered Kashmir, making it easier for trained militants to cross over into the Indian side. The Indian Army changed its strategy in summer which included redeployment as per summer infiltration routes along the LoC.

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