Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Jojan Thomas, AC (22 May 1965 - 22 August 2008) was an Indian military officer with the

Jat Regiment The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, of which it is one of the longest-serving regiments.Rashtriya Rifles The Rashtriya Rifles (RR; ) is a counter-insurgency force in India, formed in 1990, to specifically serve in the Jammu and Kashmir region. They also maintain public order by drawing powers from the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Po ...

unit. He was a native of Kuttoor in Thiruvalla,

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and lived in

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

. He was commissioned from the Officers Training Academy,

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

in March 1986. On 22 August 2008, he led an operation against terrorists in the forests of Macchal sector in the

Kupwara Kupwara is a town and a municipal council in Kupwara district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Municipal council Kupwara is an Urban Local Body with 13 elected members (also in Delimitation in progress for wards), which adm ...

district of Jammu and Kashmir. In the process, he killed three terrorists, but sustained several gunshot wounds and succumbed to injuries. For his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the

Ashoka Chakra Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

, the highest peace time military decoration in India.

Early life

Jojan Thomas was born on 22 May 1965 in Kuttoor village of Thiruvalla in pathanamthitta District of

. He was the son of an army officer Captain P.A Thomas and Aleyamma Thomas. He was eldest among his four siblings. His two brothers also serving in the Armed Forces. He came from a family with deep military background.

Military career

He was commissioned in 11 Jat Regiment from the Officers Training Academy (OTA),

on a short-service commission as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1986. Promoted lieutenant on 8 March 1988, he received a regular commission as a second lieutenant on 8 March 1991 (seniority for promotion from 6 November 1986) and was promoted lieutenant from the same date (seniority for promotion from 6 November 1988). He was also a trained pilot and had served with Army Aviation corps for six years. Promoted captain on 6 November 1991, he was selected for the prestigious Staff Course for Officers in the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Tamil Nadu. On 6 November 1997, he was promoted to major, followed by promotion to lieutenant-colonel on 16 December 2004. He was sent to 45

Rashtriya Rifles The Rashtriya Rifles (RR; ) is a counter-insurgency force in India, formed in 1990, to specifically serve in the Jammu and Kashmir region. They also maintain public order by drawing powers from the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Po ...

to undertake anti terrorist operations in 2008.

Ashoka Chakra awardee

For his bravery, self sacrifice and leadership in Kupwara Operation in 2008, he was posthumously awarded

, India's highest peacetime gallantry award.

References

2008 deaths Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration) 1965 births Ashoka Chakra {{India-mil-bio-stub