On 17 August 2018, a counter-terrorism operation in Kachlu village of the Rafiabad area in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district turned into a fierce exchange of fire. Among the soldiers involved was Rifleman Ram Babu Shahi, a 24-year-old soldier serving with 32 Rashtriya Rifles, on deputation from his parent unit, 1 Gorkha Rifles.
Ram Babu Shahi was from Jagatpur village in Chitwan, Nepal. Born in 1994, he joined the Indian Army in 2013, when he was just 19 years old, and was enrolled into 1 Gorkha Rifles. After serving with his parent unit, he was posted with 32 Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir, where his battalion was engaged in counter-terrorism duties.
The operation in which he made the supreme sacrifice began after security forces received information about terrorists hiding in Kachlu village. A joint team comprising personnel from the Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police moved into the area and established a cordon.
As the search operation progressed, the terrorists opened fire on the security forces. A gunfight followed.
Rifleman Shahi was seriously wounded during the exchange of fire. He was provided immediate medical attention and evacuated to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar. Despite efforts to save him, he later succumbed to his injuries.
The Army later paid tribute to the young Gorkha soldier at BB Cantt in Srinagar, where senior officers and personnel from the Army and other security agencies gathered to honour him. His mortal remains were subsequently flown to Varanasi for his last rites with full military honours.
For Ram Babu’s family, the loss was far more than a military headline. He was a young husband, a father to a little daughter and the only son among five sisters, according to contemporary reports. His family had to receive the news from thousands of kilometres away, while his final journey took him from Kashmir to Varanasi before he was laid to rest.
His connection to the Gorkha community was also an important part of his story. He had come from Chitwan, Nepal, and had chosen a life in the Indian Army. The traditions of the Gorkha Rifles became part of his identity, while his service with 32 Rashtriya Rifles took him into the difficult operational environment of Jammu and Kashmir.
The official Army remembrance material for Army Day 2019 included Rifleman Ram Babu Shahi among the Indian Army personnel who made the supreme sacrifice during 2018.
There is often very little that can be written about the final moments of a soldier. An operation begins, troops move into position, firing breaks out, and somewhere in that confusion a young man is wounded.
But remembering a soldier should never be limited to those final moments.
Ram Babu Shahi had joined the Army at 19. He spent his twenties in uniform. He served with his parent regiment and later with Rashtriya Rifles in Kashmir. He had a wife and a young daughter waiting for him at home.
He was 24 years old when his journey ended in Kachlu.
Years later, his name remains connected to that August morning in north Kashmir, but it should also be remembered as the name of a young Gorkha soldier who chose to serve and spent his final years carrying out that responsibility.
On 17 August, The Honour Post remembers Rifleman Ram Babu Shahi of 32 Rashtriya Rifles, 1 Gorkha Rifles.
Not simply as a name in an operational record, but as a soldier, a husband, a father and a son whose life was dedicated to service.
His courage is remembered.
His service is honoured.
His supreme sacrifice will not be forgotten. 🇮🇳
**Lest We Forget.**
