Meet Major Anuj Sood: The 21 RR Company Commander Who Fought Till His Last Breath to Save Civilians

Major Anuj Sood, Shaurya Chakra (posthumous), exemplified the highest ideals of leadership, courage, and selflessness in the Indian Army. As a Company Commander with the 21st Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles (attached from the 19th Battalion, Brigade of the Guards), he made the ultimate sacrifice on 2 May 2020 during Operation Chanjimula in Handwara, Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir. Leading from the front, he entered a besieged civilian residence to rescue hostages held by heavily armed terrorists, sustaining fatal injuries while neutralising the threat and protecting innocent lives. His actions earned him the nation’s third-highest peacetime gallantry award, the Shaurya Chakra, conferred posthumously on 26 January 2021.

Early Life and Military Family Legacy

Born on 17 December 1989 at the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Major Anuj Sood hailed from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, with his family later settling in Chandigarh. He was the son of Brigadier Chandrakant Sood (Retired), a distinguished officer of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), and the late Smt. Ragini Sood, who passed away in 2011 after battling cancer. Raised in a military environment across various cantonments, he developed an early and unwavering aspiration to serve in the Indian Army as an infantryman.

Major Sood’s upbringing instilled in him the values of discipline, duty, and patriotism. He often credited his father’s exemplary service as the primary inspiration for his career choice. He is survived by his father, wife Smt. Aakriti Singh Sood, elder sister Smt. Shruti (married to Shri Arjun), and niece Ms. Meera.

Education, Commissioning, and Professional Excellence

Major Sood completed his schooling at Army Public School, Udhampur, and Punjab Public School, Nabha. In 2008, he joined the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, demonstrating exceptional academic and leadership prowess. He qualified for engineering programmes at premier institutions but chose military service, excelling as a “torch holder” across terms, serving as Company Quarter Master Sergeant, and participating in paragliding and equestrian activities.

He proceeded to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, and was commissioned on 9 June 2012 into the Brigade of the Guards (Service No. IC-76429H). Graduating as the Senior Under Officer, he embodied professionalism and discipline from the outset. He later earned an M.Tech. degree with distinction from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, reflecting his commitment to scholarly pursuits alongside operational duties.

Distinguished Military Career

Major Sood served initially with the 19th Battalion, Brigade of the Guards, holding appointments such as Platoon Commander, Adjutant, and Aide-de-Camp to the General Officer Commanding of the 14 RAPID Division. He completed the Junior Command Course at the Army War College, Mhow, with distinction. In March 2018, he was deputed to the 21st Battalion, Rashtriya Rifles, for counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir, where he commanded a company in a high-threat environment.

Colleagues and superiors described him as a scholar-soldier who led by personal example, maintained exacting standards, and inspired his troops through meticulous planning and fearless execution.

Operation Chanjimula: The Supreme Act of Valour

On 1 May 2020, intelligence reports indicated the presence of terrorists in the Wadarbala-Rajwara forests of Kupwara. A joint operation involving the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force, and Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched. The operation extended into 2 May, when fresh intelligence located two to four heavily armed terrorists sheltering in a civilian house in Chanjimulla village, holding residents hostage.

As Company Commander, Major Sood established a close cordon around the target with his Combat Action Team. Prioritising civilian safety, he, alongside his Commanding Officer, Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, and three other personnel, entered the house at approximately 5:30 pm to evacuate the trapped civilians. In the ensuing close-quarters firefight, Major Sood displayed extraordinary grit and presence of mind. He relentlessly engaged the terrorists, personally injured one, and facilitated the rescue of hostages while sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Two terrorists were neutralised in the operation.

Major Sood, Colonel Sharma, Naik Rajesh Kumar, Lance Naik Dinesh Singh, and Sub-Inspector Shakeel Qazi Pathan of the Jammu and Kashmir Police made the supreme sacrifice. The civilians were successfully evacuated, underscoring the operation’s primary objective of protecting innocent lives.

Shaurya Chakra: Official Citation

The Gazette of India notification for the Shaurya Chakra (posthumous) records the following citation:

“Major Anuj Sood was leading the men of his Company during ‘Operation Chanjimula’ on 02 May 2020. During the operation the officer laid the cordon at the suspected house with his Combat Action Team. Unmindful of his personal safety he along with the Commanding Officer and three other individuals moved inside the house to evacuate the civilians trapped inside and being taken as hostages by the terrorists. The Gallant officer in the ensuing fire fight with the terrorists showcased utmost grit, valour and bravery and made the supreme sacrifice by laying down his life in the finest traditions of the Indian Army and injured the terrorists with nefarious designs.”

The award was presented to his wife, Smt. Aakriti Singh Sood, in recognition of his conspicuous gallantry.

Personal Life and Enduring Legacy

Major Sood married Aakriti Singh Sood, a software engineer and daughter of a Navy Marine Commando, in 2017. Despite the demands of operational service, the couple shared a profound bond; she had resigned her position to support him. Friends and family remember him as a passionate, disciplined, and affectionate individual with a love for biking and meticulous planning for the future.

On the sixth anniversary of his martyrdom, tributes continue to pour in from comrades, the armed forces fraternity, and civilians across the nation. His father, Brigadier Chandrakant Sood, has advocated for structured national protocols to honour martyrs. At the National Defence Academy, his squadron mates established the Major Anuj Sood Trophy and renamed a flank in his memory.

Major Anuj Sood’s life and sacrifice remain a beacon of inspiration. At the age of 30, he demonstrated that true leadership lies in placing duty and the safety of others above one’s own. His legacy endures not only in military annals but in the collective conscience of a grateful nation that honours those who fight till their last breath to protect its citizens.