Major Praful Moharkar hailed from Junona village in Paoni Tehsil and was born to Mr. Ambadas Moharkar and Mrs. Sudha Moharkar. Major Moharkar completed his primary education at Manora village in Paoni Tehsil and high school education from Vainangaga School, in Paoni and Somalwar High School in Nagpur. He got admission in Engineering college in Nagpur but as he was determined to serve the army, he decided to discontinue his studies in the college and joined the engineering course offered by the Army through Technical Entry Scheme (TES).

He was commissioned into the Sikh regiment after passing out from Officer Training Academy (OTA) as Lieutenant and later was promoted to the rank of Major. Major Praful got married to Aboli in 2015 and was to celebrate his second wedding anniversary on 25 Dec 2017.

LOC Firing: 23 December 2017

During 2017, Major Praful’s unit was deployed along the LOC in Keri sector in Rajouri district of J & K and he was Officer Commanding of Vir Badreshwar Post. The LOC in that sector is very volatile and active where the enemy often resorts to unprovoked firing. It is monitored and guarded by the security forces by employing armed patrols on a continuous basis. On 23 December 2017, around noon time, the Pakistani forces indulged in ceasefire violation and resorted to unprovoked firing.

During that time an armed patrol of the Sikh Regiment led by Major Praful was on a regular patrol of the area. At around 1215 hours Pakistani troops who were hiding at Brat Galla in Keri sector targeted the army patrol team. The heavy firing was accompanied by the artillery fire from across the border indicating that it was a pre-planned dastardly attack. The patrol team leader Maj Praful Moharkar and three of his troops Lance Naik Gurmail Singh, Lance Naik Kuldeep Singh and Sep Pargat Singh took direct hits and got seriously wounded. They later succumbed to their injuries and laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

Major Praful is Survived by his wife Aboli Moharkar, father Sri Ambadas Moharkar and mother Smt Sudha Moharkar.

Source:https://www.honourpoint.in/