The valour lives on through Jimmy in ‘Shershaah’— a cinematic salute to real courage.

The calm of Kargil and Dras was shattered in April 1999 when Pakistan violated the 1972 Shimla Agreement, infiltrating troops across the Line of Control and occupying strategic heights from Mushkoh Valley to Chorbat La. The intrusion, threatened the vital National Highway 1A (NH- A), India’s lifeline to Leh and Ladakh, with Point 5140 emerging as the most critical objective.

Troops under 121 (Independent) Infantry Brigade launched swift operations, and by June, 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles was fully prepared. On the night of June 20, 1999, a daring assault was launched, and by dawn, the enemy was driven off in intense combat.

Among the heroes was Captain Sanjeev Singh Jamwal, whose fearless leadership and valour in close combat earned him the Vir Chakra, symbolising unmatched courage and resolve.

The battle account on his bravery reads: “During “Operation Vijay”, Captain Sanjeev Singh Jamwal, was attached to 13 JAK RIF battalion. On 20 June, 1999, the battalion was tasked to re-capture Pt 5140 in Dras sub-sector. The feature had seven heavily fortified sangars (improvised bunkers) and each had to be tackled one by one to evict all intruders. Captain Sanjeev approached the objective from the west along with his column and reached within assaulting distance of the enemy defences maintaining total surprise. And then, he with his buddy in the lead, on the cry “Durge Mata Ji Jai” led the assault on the first sangar. This took the enemy by total surprise, forced a hand-to-hand fight and resulted in panic amongst the enemy. After successfully clearing the first sangar, Captain Sanjeev led the assault on second sangar and caused further attrition on the enemy. He personally killed three intruders and was instrumental in the successful capture of Pt 5140 Top. The valour lives on through Jimmy in “Shershaah” — a cinematic salute to real courage.

Col Sanjeev Singh Jamwal: A living legend from Himachal’s soil

Colonel Sanjeev Singh Jamwal, Vir Chakra, a decorated officer of the Indian Army, was born in Shimla, on August 2, 1974, to late Kehar Singh Jamwal and Malka Devi. The youngest among three siblings, Sanjeev traces his roots to Pathiar village in Nagrota Bagwan, Kangra district. His character “Jimmy”, portrayed in the movie “Shershaah”, brought to light his role as the senior subaltern of the late Captain Vikram Batra, a Param Vir Chakra (Posthumous) recipient in the same battle.

An alumnus of Sainik School, Sujanpur Tira, Sanjeev was commissioned into the Army Service Corps on June 7, 1997. As a young Captain with the Indian Military Training team in Bhutan, he earned the chance of a lifetime by being attached to 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles during the Kargil War, where he proved his exceptional grit.

Married to Vandna Jamwal since 2000, he is a proud father of two sons, Vansaj — a data analyst, and Sanyam, pursuing his BTech in computers.

Now serving as Colonel (Supplies) at the Northern Command, Sanjeev continues to embody courage, commitment and the indomitable Himachali spirit.