Broadly, they say, people can be classified in only 2 categories –the first and foremost –the ‘leaders and aspiring to be leaders’ and secondly- the watchers. Unlike the watchers, here and there everywhere and in majority, the leaders and aspiring to be leaders are only handful. Thank God, when it comes to our armies, we have only the first category of people –imagine even one in the army having the qualities of the second category would risk the lives of many civilians like us and the country !

Sunil Kumar Choudhary was born on 22 June 1980 in Kathua district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. His father P. L. Choudhary also served in the Indian Army and held the rank of a Lieutenant colonel. Choudhary was educated in the Kendriya Vidyalaya till secondary education and then attained undergraduate degree from Garware College of Commerce in Pune. He then completed Master of Business Administration course from Savitribai Phule Pune University (Pune), India before joining the Indian army While Sunil Kumar Choudhary was doing MBA, his younger brother Ankur Chaudhary was selected in National Defence Academy and was undergoing his training at the NDA training academy in Khadakwasla where Sunil used to visit him often. In the training academy, there was a statue of Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, who was posthumously awarded the India's highest military honor Param Vir Chakra. Pandey was also in the 11 Gorkha Rifles. Sunil Kumar Choudhary was inspired by Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey and hence dropped MBA and joined Indian Military Academy on 1 Jul 2003. After joining, he expressed desire to be a part of 11 Gorkha Rifles. Upon passing out from the academy on 10 Dec 2004, Choudhary moved to Fort William, Kolkata and joined Gorkha Rifles in Feb 2005. In May 2006, he was posted to Tinsukia district for counter-insurgency operations against United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).

It was this day of 27th January, 2008 and acting on a tip-off that a group of ULFA cadres were taking shelter at a house there, the Army launched an operation. The Army raided the house where the militants, including hardcore ULFA cadre Joona Bhuyan, involved in several heinous crimes, were taking shelter. Upon realizing that they were about to be raided, the militants open fired to which the Army men retaliated. After a brief standoff, Capt Choudhary charged into the house, his gun blazing, taking down two militants and injured one, but the young officer, too, was hit. He was shot in the chest by the militants but continued to fight and killed two militants. The entire operation was over within a matter of minutes as the rest of the militants escaped. One AK-56 rifle, two magazines, more than 100 live bullets, one mobile phone and an IED were recovered from the hide out.

In the shootout, Captain SK Choudhury, who was a prime target for ULFA, shot dead two leaders and sustained grievous injuries. He was airlifted to the Air Force hospital at Rowraiah where he was declared dead. Incidentally, Choudhary died exactly 24 hours after he was awarded the “Sena Medal” for gallantry. He was also due to get married later next month. Choudhary served for 3.1 years and was awarded with Kirti Chakra (posthumous) and Sena Medals.

‘Service before Self’ is the principle that is ingrained in our army soldiers and we civilians may still find this difficult to imbibe…. but the least, we can do is…we can salute him and others like him, who lay their lives for the country and brethren-while we still continue to be ‘Watchers’.