Hello, Warriors! Remembering Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum, MVC, 12 JAKLI, The Gallant Brave who made the supreme sacrifice On This Day 01 July in 1999 recapturing Point 4812 in Batalik sector during Operation Vijay in Kargil 1999.
It’s been Twenty Two years since then, but the unparalleled bravery and sacrifice of Kargil brave hearts are still etched in the collective memory of the country. However, few people know about Lieutenant Keishing Clifford Nongrum and his act of extraordinary courage that was responsible for giving the Indian army a crucial edge in the Kargil war.
1. Belonging to the city of Shillong in Meghalaya, Capt Keishing Clifford Nongrum was born on March 7, 1975. His father, Shri Peter Keishing, worked at State Bank of India while his mother, Smt Saily Nongrum, is a housewife.
2. Capt Clifford Nongrum was part Naga, part Khasi (his father is a Tangkhul tribal from Ukhrul, Manipur), but he took his name, Nongrum, from his Khasi mother in accordance with the traditions of Khasi matrilineal society.
3. A mound 50 metres away from the Nongrum residence apparently helped Capt Clifford make up his mind. He’d often spend hours on the mound peering down at Happy Valley a kilometre beyond, absorbed in the daily drills of the men in the Assam Rifles base.
4. Capt Nongrum received his high-school education from Don Bosco Technical School in Shillong and completed his graduation in political science from St. Anthony’s College, Shillong. He was a sincere, obedient, honest and hardworking child ever since his school days. Capt Nongrum had a great interest in Soccer and boxing. In 1993, he had formed a club called Kiew Shaphrang Sport Club to encourage the young kids around his locality to play soccer. He was also the captain of the school football team and the game helped in honing his leadership qualities.
5. After finishing the college, his passion to join the Armed Forces led him to join the Officer Training Academy in 1996 in 64th SSC course. He graduated from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai (OTA) and was commissioned into the 12th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment.
During Kargil War : 01 July 1999
6. By early May 1999, Pakistani forces had intruded well across the LOC, in the Mushkoh, Dras, Kaksar and Batalik sectors. The extent of penetration across the LOC varied from 4 to 8 kms in each sector. In many vital points, neither artillery nor air power could dislodge the enemy forces, who were not in visible range. The Indian forces had no option but to send up the soldiers for direct assaults which were slow and took a toll. One such mission was assigned to 12 JAK LI unit on 30 June 1999 to capture the strategically important Point 4812 in the Batalik sector. Capt Nongrum was tasked to lead the assault team for this critical mission.
7. On the night of 30 June/01 July 1999, Capt Nongrum set off along with his troops to assault the feature from the South Eastern direction. He led his column over the near impossible vertical cliff feature, using all the field craft skills he had learnt. Capt Nongrum and his resolute squad just went on to do the challenging task and made the ascent steadily yet stealthily to get to the enemy shelters at the top. On reaching the top, his column faced strong opposition from the enemy forces as they were well entrenched in interconnected positions carved out of boulders and could not be attacked by even artillery fire.
8. The enemy pinned down the column of Capt Nongrum with heavy automatic fire for about two hours. Capt Nongrum realized that the enemy forces were in fortified positions and a daredevil action was needed to overrun them to make an advance towards their objective. He did not take much time to analyse the gravity of the situation and with utter disregard to his personal safety, charged through the fire zone. Closing in with the first position, he threw grenades into it and killed six enemy soldiers. He then tried to snatch the universal machine gun of the enemy from the second enemy position and received a volley of bullets.
9. The audacious action of Capt Nongrum not only stunned the enemy but also gave valuable reaction time to his troops to close in and finally clear the position. Though severely wounded, he refused to be evacuated and fought valiantly till he succumbed to his injuries. This courageous act of Capt Nongrum finally paved the way for the ultimate capture of Point 4812. Capt Nongrum was given the nation’s second highest gallantry award, “Maha Vir Chakra” for his exceptional bravery, indomitable spirit and supreme sacrifice. Capt Nongrum is the only soldier from the state of Meghalaya to receive this unique honour. Capt Keishing Clifford Nongrum is survived by his father Shri Peter Keishing, mother Smt Saily Nongrum and brothers Shri Jeffery Nongrum & Shri Paul Nonogrum.
10. Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum was honored by Maha Vir Chakra for his extra ordinary valor and supreme sacrifice. He is the only person from the state of Meghalaya to have won this distinct and prestigious honor. A bust of Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum has been recently inaugurated at Rhino Museum Shillong in his memory.
CITATION: CAPTAIN KEISHING CLIFFORD NONGRUM 12 JAMMU AND KASHMIR LIGHT INFANTRY
On the night of 30 June/1 July 1999, in the operations to capture Point 4812 in the Batalik Sector, Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum was tasked to assault the feature from the southeastern direction. Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum led his column over the near impossible vertical feature. On reaching the top, his column encountered strong enemy opposition. The enemy was well entrenched in interconnected bunkers, carved out of boulders, and remained invulnerable to even artillery fire.
The enemy pinned down the column of Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum with heavy and accurate automatic fire for about two hours. On seeing the futility of own fire against the fortified enemy position, Captain Keishing Nongrum, with utter disregard to his personal safety, charged through the fire zone. Closing in with the first position, he threw grenades into it and killed six enemy soldiers. He then tried to snatch the universal machine gun of the enemy from the second enemy position and received a volley of bullets.
The audacious action of Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum stunned the enemy giving valuable reaction time to his troops to close in and finally clear the position. Though severely wounded, Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum refused to be evacuated and fought valiantly till he succumbed to his injuries. This act resulted in the ultimate capture of Point 4812.
Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum displayed conspicuous bravery, dogged determination and raw courage in the face of the enemy and made the supreme sacrifice in the highest traditions of the Indian Army.
Remembering Captain Keishing Clifford Nongrum, MVC, 12 JAKLI, on his Birth Anniversary today.
— SSBCrackExams (@SSBCrackExams) July 1, 2021
The brave son of Meghalaya made the supreme sacrifice in Kargil War in the highest traditions of Indian Army.
His bravado resulted in ultimate capture of point 4812. 🇮🇳❤️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/nu44z7SPB4
