Manish Pitambare
Indian army officer
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Major Manish Pitambare KC was an Indian Army officer who posthumously received the Kirti Chakra, India's second highest peacetime gallantry decoration.
Manish Pitambare | |
|---|---|
Major Manish Pitambare | |
| Born | 1975 |
| Died | 27 November 2006 (aged 30–31) |
| Allegiance |  India |
Branch |  Indian Army |
Service years | 1996–2006 |
Rank |  Major |
| Unit | 3 Para |
| Awards |  Kirti Chakra |
Education
After obtaining his Secondary School Certificate with marks of almost 90%, Pitambare joined the Services Preparatory Institute (SPI) in Aurangabad, Maharashtra and then prepared for the National Defence Academy (NDA).[1] He went on to join the NDA in Pune, and went on to the Indian Military Academy (IMA). He commissioned into the Indian Army in 1996.[2] He was made a Major before the age of 31.[1]
Military career
Pitambare was part of the team that tracked down Al-Badr militant Toufik Akmal, wanted for his suspected links to the 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings.[2]
In 2006, Pitambare was serving with the 3rd battalion of the Parachute Regiment and was on counter-insurgency operations in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. On 27 November 2006, during a night-long gun battle in south Kashmir's Bijbehara, Pitambare shot dead Suhail Faizal, one of Hizbul Mujahideen’s top commanders in Kashmir.[2] He was later killed in the same battle.[3]
In January 2007, Pitambare was posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra, India's second highest peacetime gallantry award.[4]
Personal life
Pitambare married his wife Mughda in 2003 and the couple had a daughter, Yukta, in 2005.[2]