NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, DEC 2
The Indian Army has instituted an award in memory of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz, a young officer from Kashmir who was abducted and killed by terrorists in Shopian district of the Valley three-and-a-half years back, officials said on Wednesday.
The award has been introduced by the Rajputana Rifles, one of the oldest rifle regiments of the Indian Army. Twenty-two-year-old Fayaz was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifles in Akhnoor in the Jammu region.
Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz was born at Sursunu village in Kulgam district of Jammu & Kashmir. He studied from Jawahar Navodaya Vidalaya, Anantnag and joined the 129th course of NDA to pursue his dream of becoming an Army officer. During his training at NDA, he demonstrated outstanding improvement in his performance in all disciplines.
“The life and supreme sacrifice of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz is indeed an inspiration for today”s youth especially from rural areas in the Valley for joining the Indian armed forces,” said an Army official.
On May 9, 2017, Fayaz had gone to attend the wedding of the daughter of his maternal uncle at Batapura in south Kashmir from where he was abducted by the militants around 10 pm. His body was found hours later.
His killing had triggered anger among the locals.
The officials said the ”Commandant’s Motivation Award” has been instituted from this year onwards in the memory of Fayaz.
The first Commandant’s Motivation Award – Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz Rajputana Rifles Regiment trophy and a silver medal for displaying overall improvement in performance were presented to Cadet Vijay Bahadur of the 139th NDA Course at the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla near Pune, the official said.
