Major A. Ranjith Kumar, a native of Tiruppur district, received his second Sena Medal (Gallantry) – referred to as “Bar to Sena Medal” – during the Central Command Investiture Ceremony 2024 held in Lucknow
A paratrooper from the 23rd battalion of the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) led an avalanche rescue team in search of 29 missing students from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.
The students went missing after an avalanche on October 4, 2022, at an altitude of about 5,500 meters.
The officer's strategic planning resulted in locating the mortal remains of 27 students buried in the avalanche.
He was previously awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry) in 2020 for a key operation in the Kashmir Valley.
An alumnus of Sainik School Amaravathinagar, he received the Bar to Sena Medal Gallantry along with another officer.
